Wimbledon 2011: 10 Players Who Could Break out at Wimbledon This Year

Grand slams are great because the fans can clearly see who is able to perform and who is just a flash in the pan.           

Two rounds have been completed, and already there have been some notable upsets.

Stanislas Wawrinka lost in three sets and Fernando Verdasco lost.

A stylish pick for this tournament was 20-year-old up and comer Milos Raonic. He lost today, after retiring in the second set.

Every tournament, loyal tennis fans can spot who is going to make an impact on the game and watching those players is just as fun as watching Nadal or Federer. It begs the question of who will breakout this year?

Here is a list of ten candidates who could break out. (The rankings are by world rankings, not Wimbledon)

Notable mention Grigor Dimitrov.

10. Gilles Simon, ranked 16

Simon has been ranked as high as number six in the world. Although, he has the game to win, it hasn’t translated in grand slams. The furthest he has been in Wimbledon was in the fourth round during the 2009 season.

However, he does have some quality wins this season, beating Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, Thomaz Bellucci, Mikhail Youzhny, Viktor Troicki and taking Roger Federer to five sets in this year’s Australian open, but losing.

Simon is a great counter-puncher and his backhand is his strength. He will have a tough task playing Del Potro in the third round f Wimbledon. They are tied 1-1. The time he lost, Simon took Del Potro to five sets in the 2008 US Open, but lost.

9. John Isner, Ranked 47

Isner is on his last limb. So much hope was in store for American tennis when Isner arrived at the scene, but he is quickly showing that Americans can’t compete with anyone. At the French this year, he took Nadal to five sets, but that has been his only serious accomplishment.

At 26 years old, he is already considered to be on the downside, so he has to make a strong showing at Wimbledon. He really needs to improve his baseline game, especially his backhand, which is one of the worst on tour.

His footwork is lazy a lot of the time. He has to play Nicolas Almagro next, which is a winnable match and that might give him confidence when he plays Federer.

8. Nicolas Almagro, Ranked 15

Almagro is known for his play on clay, but his draw doesn’t look too bad until he plays Roger Federer in the round of 16.

The Spaniard has good wins this year. Beating the likes of Thomaz Bellucci and Tomas Berdych. Almagro is a solid player because he has good ground strokes, but sometimes he goes for too much.

7. Marcos Baghdatis, Ranked 30

Baghdatis always seems to step it up in grand slams. His strength is his backhand, but sometimes he goes for too much.

The reason Baghdatis has a chance to go far is because he embraces the spotlight and he has a game fit forthe grass.

Baghdatis, if he advances, will play Djokovic in the fourth round this year. The last time he played Djokovic at Wimbledon was in 2008, where he lost in five sets.

6. Tomas Berdych, Ranked 7

Fans have always been waiting for Berdych to break out, and this year, it could be possible. Last year, he made it to the finals only to lose to Rafael Nadal.

Berdych is tall and athletic which gives a lot of guys problems with his powerful strokes. He doesn’t really have to play anyone until Rafael Nadal, Giles Simon or Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals.

5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, ranked 19

Tsonga has all the potential, but can’t seem to translate it. This year, he beat Rafael Nadal on grass in one of the warm-up tournaments to Wimbledon. Tsonga can beat quality opponents and that’s what makes him so scary. He has very powerful strokes and a huge serve.

It doesn’t hurt that Tsonga has an easy draw at Wimbledon. His toughest match will be against Federer in the quarterfinals.

If Tsonga does get past Federer, he will play Djokovic and that’s good news because he has a 5-2 edge. They last played in the Australian Open in 2010 where Tsonga defeated Djokovic in five sets.

4. Gael Monfils, Ranked 8

Monfils is the optimum of a true athlete. His shot making abilities and his speed always give players trouble. In the French Open this year, Monfils had a good showing, but he could have done better. He beat David Ferrer in the round of 16, and lost to Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.

Monfils could have beat Federer and made the Ferrer match much easier if he did one thing: Come to net. Monfils had so many opportunities to come to net, but instead chose to have a baseline rally.  Not only did he lose points by failing to take the net, but he also tired himself out unnecessarily. Monfils did show a little intelligence by attacking Federer’s second serve.

The first test will come against Andy Roddick in the round of 16. Roddick has lost his last two matches against Monfils and has only three wins compared to Monfils’ five. If he beats Roddick, he will play Gasquet or Murray. Murray will be an easier opponent than Gasquet because Murray will be nervous in front of the Wimbledon crowd. Monfils and Murray have similar games, not going on the offensive unless needed, so it will be a good matchup.

3. Richard Gasquet, Ranked 13

Gasquet has had a history of doing well in Wimbledon, making it to the semi-finals in 2007, eventually losing to Roger Federer. Gasquet has the type of game that is perfect for the Wimbledon grass. He is a great baseline player. In turn, opponents are either forced to outhit him or come to net. When they come to net, Gasquet has no trouble passing them.

Even though Gasquet has a tough draw on paper, his matchups favor him. He plays Andy Murray in the fourth round and Monfils or Roddick in the quarterfinals. He won’t have any trouble with Roddick because he is aging. Monfils best surface isn’t grass, it’s clay and Gasquet will go on the offensive against him.

2. Juan Martin Del Potro, Ranked 21

He is not really breaking out because he already won the U.S. Open, but Del Potro can put his name in the discussion with the big three if he wins Wimbledon. Del Potro is a freak of nature. A 6’6 guy shouldn’t be able to move as well as he does and have the power he possesses.

By the time his career is over, Del Potro will have a winning record against Nadal, and he actually plays Nadal in the round of 16 this year. Nadal’s spin doesn’t bother him because of his height. If he gets past Nadal, he will play Simon in the quarterfinals and either Murray, Gasquet, or Monfils in the semi-finals. It will be a tough matchup against Murray because Murray has slightly better ground strokes, but he has a winning record against Gasquet and hasn’t played Monfils yet.

1. Bernard Tomic, Ranked 158

At only 18, Tomic is going to be a star in the making. He already beat Nikolay Davydenko this year in the first round of Wimbledon, in straight sets. He also defeated Feliciano Lopez in Austrailia in straight sets.

If he beats Igor Andreev in second round, he will have to play Robin Soderling in the third round, which might be tough. Even if he loses, he has the most potential in this group. Tomic has so much power on his ground strokes and serve, but sometimes he leans back on his shots.