Wimbledon 2015: The players to look out for

The 129th edition of the championship, which is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, begins on the 29th of June. It is considered the most prestigious of all the tennis tournaments, and is held annually at the All England Club in London, in the Borough of Wimbledon, from which it takes its name. It is one of the four Grand Slams of the tennis year.

Here we profile some players who could shake up the routine at Wimbledon:

Nicolas Mahut (Wild Card Entry)

Mahut at the Topshelf open earlier this month

It is often said that when it come to grass courts, some players turn heroes. One of them is the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. The 33-year-old has reached 5 finals and won 3 titles in his career, all on grass courts. He opened his account this year with a title at the Topshelf Open held in the Netherlands earlier this June.

In tandem with compatriot Pierre-Hugues Herbert, he reached the finals at the same event and won the title at the Queen’s Club the following week. Although he needs a wildcard to enter the draw, he is not an easy opponent.

He could potentially face Tomas Berdych in the second round in a match that could be decisive in his Wimbledon campaign this year. A win there could lead him to a better result than this third round finish last year.

Her first round match will be played against Filip Krajinovic of Serbia.

Kristina Mladenovic

Mladenovic at the 2015 Aegon Classic

In the past few years, Frenchwoman Mladenovic has been responsible for a few major upset spoiling the chances of many a winner. Her victorious streak continued this month as she took out Simona Halep in three sets at the AEGON Classic. When she enters Wimbledon, she could pose a threat to many top players, and brings with her the potential for an upset at the British grass tournament. Wimbledon has been the venue for several of Mladenovic’s career firsts: her first grand slam (mixed doubles) in 2013, and her first women’s doubles final in 2014.

Her first round match will be played against Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania.

Karolina Pliskova (11)

Pliskova, pictured at the 2015 Aegon Classic

The most recent young sensation in women’s tennis, Karolina Pliskova enters Wimbledon on the back of stellar performances this year. She has reached four finals this year, winning one title. She reached the finals at the AEGON Championships earlier this month, falling to winner Angelique Kerber of Germany. This Wimbledon, Pliskova will aim for a career best result at a slam.

Her opponent in the pre-quarterfinals will be French Open runner-up and defending semifinalist, her Czech compatriot Lucie Safarova. It could be a tough match to emerge victorious from, but a win could propel her into the top 10 and the big league.

Her first round match will be played against Irina Falconi of the United States of America.

The big Aussie power: time for another dream run?

From a land down under – (Clockwise from top left) Lleyton Hewitt, Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Bernard Tomic of Australia

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When it comes to Wimbledon, Australian talent has shunted out many heavyweights in the recent years. Two of the highest ranked players from Australia owe their rise to the grass courts of Wimbledon. The contingent is a formidable one, with former Champion Lleyton Hewitt, former quarterfinalists Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic and many other capable and aspiring talents forming its ranks.

On the eve of what will be his final appearance at Wimbledon, 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt does not seem to be in optimal form. He needs a wild card to enter the main draw that he once mastered. He will face veteran Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in the opening round and if he is successful, top-seeded Novak Djokovic. This draw rules out any possibility of him making a deep run at the tournament this year.

Other significant Australian talents include Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis. Tomic is seeded to meet Djokovic in the third round, while Kokkinakis could make it to a round 16 clash against Djokovic on the back of a few upsets, although he would be dependent on them.

2014 quarter-finalist Nick Kyrgios is in the same section as Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic.

The possibility of an Australian making it to the third or fourth rounds cannot be ruled out, with as many as 11 of them featuring in the draw. The best hopes will lie with Kyrgios and the flamboyant Kokkinakis. An upset by Matthew Ebden or Sam Groth too may not surprise many. Interestingly, the duo are to play the Davis cup quarterfinals against the Kazakhs on grass at home the week following the conclusion of Wimbledon.

Regular grass court players present a picture of disappointment and hope

Feliciano Lopez of Spain has failed to live up to expectations

In a rather disappointing turn of events, some of the regular performers at the grass courts have failed to replicate their successes from earlier seasons, the foremost being Feliciano Lopez. With a game that suits the surface very well, Lopez has had considerable success on the grass courts of Wimbledon.

His prospects this year, however, lie in tatters with poor performances at preparatory events. He lost tamely to Sam Groth, John Isner and Yen-Hsun Lu at those events, managing just two wins at all three events put together. Adding to his woes will be the draw – he is drawn to face Roger Federer in the fourth round.

Similarly, Grigor Dimitrov has also failed to make an impact throughout the season, let alone on grass courts. His ranking is also in jeopardy, following an early exit at the All England Club. He is drawn to meet Milos Raonic in round 16.

On the Women’s side, Tsvetana Pironkova and Sabine Lisicki are among the regular performers who have not put up a good show. Lisicki managed a few good wins at Birmingham, along with a record 27 aces, before going down to compatriot Angelique Kerber in the semifinals.

It is possible that she will be pitted against Kerber again at Wimbledon in a potential quarterfinal clash. Kerber has a clean head to head record of 6 wins in as many matches against Lisicki, 3 of which were on grass courts.

Pironkova played three warm-up tournaments but failed to get any wins that could place her in the category of players to look out for at Wimbledon. She is drawn to meet in-form Swiss player Belinda Bencic in the first round. A former semifinalist, she will surely be a force to reckon with, but not many will fancy her chances here.

Some other players with the potential to record good results include Marcos Baghdatis, Alexander Dolgopolov, Viktor Troicki and Belinda Bencic.