2011 Wimbledon: The Men's Field

Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament in tennis. It is played at the All-England Club on grass; it is the only grand slam on that surface. In past years, the tournament has been dominated by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal while seeing an occasional Andy Roddick or Tomas Berdych in the final. 

Here are the players competing in Wimbledon 2011.

Seed No. 1: Rafael Nadal

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a shot during the Men's Singles Final match against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic on Day Thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July

First seed Rafael Nadal is defending his title.

He won the tournament in 2008, beating Roger Federer in the final in what is often called the Greatest Match of All Time. In 2010, Nadal crushed Tomas Berdych in the final to win his second Wimbledon.

This year, Nadal has just come off a win in the French Open, dropping only three sets the whole tournament. Though he's not looking as good as he was in 2008, he's still mentally tough, and Rafa will come into Wimbledon believing that he can win the whole thing. Though he just lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Queen's Club, it's much more likely that he will rise to the occasion at Wimbledon.

Nadal's ability to finish off points has been much improved, as his serve has increased in pace. These two factors can be very helpful to him on this fast grass.

Seed No. 2: Novak Djokovic

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 02: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a shot during the Men's Semi Final match against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic on Day Eleven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2,

Novak Djokovic started off 2011 with a 41-0 record. He has won seven titles this year, including the Australian Open, after defeating Andy Murray in the final. Earlier this year, he defeated Nadal four times and defeated Federer three times.

Coming into the French Open, Djokovic looked seemingly unbeatable. Then, in the French Open semifinal, he lost to Federer in four high-quality sets after his game unexpectedly fell apart. He hasn't played a match since then, so we haven't really seen him after that.

Unfortunately for Novak Djokovic, his Wimbledon record isn't so impressive by his standards. His best results at the All-England Club were when he made the semifinals in 2007 and 2010. He is looking to improve that and grab his third grand slam.

Seed No. 3: Roger Federer

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WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Roger Federer of Switzerland salutes spectators after victory in the men's singles final match against Andy Roddick of USA on Day Thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet

Roger Federer is seeking his seventh Wimbledon title and his 17th overall slam. He won wimbledon in '03, '04, '05, '06, '07 and '09 and passed Swedish Bjorn Borg for the record of most Wimbledon titles. 

2011 has been a dissapointing year for Roger, having only won one tournament (Doha), and he is 34-8 this year. However, he just got to the French Open final, where he lost to the King of Clay in four sets. Hopefully for fans, he will do very well at Wimbledon and play a fun game to watch. Since grass is Roger's best surface, he might make a fantastic run.

Seed No. 4: Andy Murray

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 13: Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates match point during his Men's Singles final against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga of France on day eight of the AEGON Championships at Queens Club on June 13, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Clive

Though Murray hasn't gotten to the final at Wimbledon, he has played well here and has the crowd completely behind him. Some are saying that this year will be the Scot's breakthrough year at the All-England Club.

Andy just won at Queen's Club, taking out Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. He also got to the French Open semis, but lost to Rafa in straight sets. This year, Murray has been 22-8, which is a record that isn't ideal for someone with standards as high as his.

Expect Murray to make a huge splash at Wimbledon.

Seed No. 5: Robin Soderling

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 30: Robin Soderling of Sweden plays a shot during his Quarter Final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on Day Nine of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30, 2010 in Lond

Soderling has had a decent 2011 by his standards. He's won three titles, Marseille, Rotterdam and Brisbane, but his record is 32-8 so far. 

He lost to Nadal in the French Open quarterfinals in straight sets and was a dissapointment in the Australian Open after losing to Alexandr Dolgopolov in the round of 16.

Soderling's best result at Wimbledon was last year, when he got to the quarterfinals and lost to Nadal in four. However, he is hoping that his massive serve and powerful windmill forehand can come through for him this year in England.

Dark Horse: Seed No. 12: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

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EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Jo-Wilfred Tsonga of France in action against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan during day four of the AEGON International at Devonshire Park on June 14, 2011 in Eastbourne, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a beast from Le Mans, France. He has had a decent 2011, going 21-12 despite not winning any titles. He recently proved his skill on grass, as he beat Nadal on the way to the final at Queen's Club.

His extremely powerful shots give him a chance of doing well on clay this year.

Unseeded Contender: John Isner

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 24: John Isner of USA (L) poses after winning on the third day of his first round match against Nicolas Mahut of France (C) with Chair Umpire Mohamed Lahyani on Day Four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England

Monster serve. On grass, this will especially help him ace more people left, right and center. Though his groundstrokes aren't amazing, his serve can carry him through some rounds so that he can make a run at Wimbledon.

Prediction

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LONDON - JULY 06: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland pose for pictures with after Nadal won in five sets in the final on day thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6

I think that Wimbledon 2011 will be Roger Federer's last grand slam final; he won't have enough to prevail over Rafael Nadal. I think Djokovic will not do well here and will lose early in the second week. Murray will get to the semifinal. Tsonga, Isner and Soderling will go to the quarters.

Champion: Rafael Nadal

Runner-Up: Roger Federer