Top 5 Dark Horses for Wimbledon 2016
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For 13 years, the Wimbledon title has stayed in the hands of just four men - such has been the gulf between them and the rest of tennis. This year does not promise to be any different, but there may be a few dark horses just out of sight who may yet change the script this July at the center-court.
The grass courts of Wimbledon have witnessed moments that have re-written history. Even the bombing of World War II could not diminish the enthusiasm of the players and the management at Wimbledon. Wimbledon carried on resolutely, and this year it will be the 130th edition of The Championships.
This place is special. Every tennis player, deep down in their hearts, carries the dream of winning this prestigious tournament. Some live their lives just for this one Grand Slam victory. But men have come and men have gone, and only a few could lay their hands on the most-coveted trophy in the sport.
At other tournaments, champions are crowned. At Wimbledon, champions are made. Some of the greatest players, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, et al. have won at SW19. This is why every youngster wishes to win here, to be in company of such an elite group. Even this year, some of the most promising young individuals have set their sights on this trophy. Let us pick up 5 dark horses-the underdogs who can produce magical performances at the Championships.
© GettyThe young man from Austria is on a mission, and there seems to be no stopping him. Thiem successfully broke into the top-10 this year. With a seeding of 8, this is his highest ranking entering into Wimbledon. What is most striking is that Thiem has transitioned exceptionally well from clay to grass. He played two warm-tournaments-Mercedes Cup and Gerry Weber Open- coming into Wimbledon and has produced good performances in both the events. He won the Mercedes Cup, beating Roger Federer en-route to the final, and he made it to the semi-finals of the Gerry Weber Open.
If that is not convincing enough, statistics tell us that Thiem has made it to quarter-finals or better in 10 tournaments this year. This includes an impressive semifinals showing at the Roland Garros.
The draw for Thiem at the Championships is relatively easy. His first round match is against Florian Mayer, which can prove to be a test, but beyond that he faces no real competition till the 4th round. In the 4th round he may face Alexander Zverev or Tomas Berdych which will make matters interesting. He is capable of advancing further and may have a potential quarter-final match against Stan Wawrinka.
The stage looks set for the young gun to continue his good season and make a deep run at the Championships.
2. Nick Kyrgios
© GettyThe media’s favourite, Nick Kyrgios, is seeded 15 at this year’s Wimbledon. For Kyrgios, Wimbledon will always be one the most cherished places as this is where he rose to fame. His victory against Rafael Nadal in the fourth round match of the Championships back in 2014 brought him into the limelight, and the young gun has not stopped since then. His continual rise in rankings has made him a serious contender for the NextGen’s number 1 ranking.
In the first two Grand Slams of the year, Kyrgios managed to reach the round of 32 but could not go further in the tournament. His performance at the Miami open was impressive as he reached the semi-finals stage of the Masters 1000 tournament, and he continued to post good results as he reached the quarter-finals at the Madrid Open. Even though these are good results, more is expected from the mercurial Australian. There are no doubts about his potential, the only worry is his head. If he can manage to stay focused, results will follow.
His draw is not too easy. In the first round he takes on Radek Stepanek. In the second, a potential match against Dustin Brown awaits him. In the third, Feliciano Lopez might face him and that is not all. In the fourth, he is on collision course with the British number one Andy Murray. If Kyrgios manages to reach the fourth round, then this match is going to be really interesting. Nick Kyrgios loves big matches, and a match against Andy at Wimbledon will be music to his ears. Also his fourth round matches are always dangerous. Ask Rafa Nadal.
3. Taylor Fritz
© GettyThe teenager from the U.S.A. is one of the finest youngsters in the world. With a ranking of 65, the young man would be all charged up to break into the top-50 of the world. His season has been good, and the most notable achievement of his career would have been to take a set away from his idol Roger Federer at Mercedes Cup. Taylor has played some of his finest tennis at the challenger level as he won the City of Onkaparinga ATP Challenger in Australia. The question is - can he handle the pressure at the tour level ?
He makes it to the list because of his draw. He plays his first match against Stan Wawrinka. There is no hiding that Stan has not been in his best form this year. He is clearly struggling, and the teenager is always searching for such situations. With some fiery ground-strokes, a little bit of luck and loads of energy, the teenager can cause a major upset against Stan.
4. Alexander Zverev
© GettyAnother teenager who has made his mark in the last two years is Alexander Zverev. Regarded as a future top-5 player by many, Zverev would be keen to leave his impression at the biggest tournament, Wimbledon. The 28th-ranked German played the Gerry Weber Open before coming into The Championships. He took advantage of an out-of-form Roger Federer to score a big win against him in three sets. To his credit, Zverev played a good match.
As the in-form Zverev enters the main draw of Wimbledon, he is scheduled to play Mathieu in the first round. A potential third-round clash with Tomas Berdych awaits, and predicting an upset victory against him will not be going too far. Zverev may very well make it to the quarter-finals of the event by winning a potential 4th round match against Dominic Thiem as well. All he needs to do is stay focused as the rallies on grass can be very frustrating. A quick point lost or won, and the match turns on its head.
© GettyThe Argentine’s name on this list might surprise a few. But, Del Potro is a former U.S. open champion and has been ranked as high as number 4 in the world. But those are things of the past. Injuries have plagued him and kept him out of the game for long. Now, as the Argentine looks to make his comeback, he cannot be discounted.
Del Potro started 2016 with a good showing at the Delray Beach open, reaching the semi-finals. The Argentine also reached the quarter-finals at the BMW Open and semi-finals at the Mercedes Cup. Now coming into Wimbledon, del Potro would be looking to get some good results and build his confidence.
Another reason why del Potro made it into this list is Stan Wawrinka. Del Potro may potentially face Stan in the second round. This match will be a cracker. Expect a lot of hard-hitting, loads of winners, and maybe even a victory for ‘the tower of Tandil’.
As the big guns make their final preparations for Wimbledon, these 5 dark horses are gearing up to pull off some upsets. As Roger Federer puts it perfectly
“You can’t win the tournament in the first week, but you can lose it.“
