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The last time a player outside the 'Big 4' won Wimbledon was way back in 2002 when Lleyton Hewitt defeated David Nalbandian in straight sets. Since then, Roger Federer has won it eight times, Djokovic six times while Nadal and Murray have won it two times each. With the 'Big 4' on the wane, the next generation of players are slowly making their mark in the majors.
Daniil Medvedev and other top Russian players like Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Aslan Karatsev will miss this year’s Championship due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players. Meanwhile, players like Alexander Zverev, Roger Federer, Kei Nishikori and others will not be playing due to injuries.
This presents a golden opportunity for other emerging players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Francis Tiafoe and Casper Ruud to make their mark at Wimbledon.
In this year’s Wimbeldon Championships, defending champion Novak Djokovic is a firm favorite to win his seventh Wimbledon title, but there are a few players who can spring a surprise and go all the way to win the Championships. Here’s a look at three dark horses who can win Wimbledon 2022.
3) Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has had a breakthrough year this season after winning two Masters 1000 titles - the Miami and Madrid Open. The 19-year-old has also made it to two quarterfinals at Slams (US Open 2021 and French Open 2022). He reached the second round of Wimbledon last year on debut and lost to Medvedev in straight sets.
The youngster from Spain has been in red-hot form this year, winning four titles and beating the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Alexander Zverev. If he can produce the same form on grass, he can beat any player on his day.
2) Felix Auger-Aliassime
After Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, started coaching Auger-Aliassime, the youngster has made significant improvements to his game. Though he has only managed to win one title this season at Rotterdam, his performances at the Grand Slams this past year have been eye-catching.
Apart from making the semifinals at the 2021 US Open, he made the quarterfinals at both Wimbledon last year and this year’s Australian Open.
In this year’s French Open he played some great tennis against Rafa Nadal to stretch him to five sets in the fourth round. With his powerful serve and penetrative groundstrokes, Auger-Aliassime stands a chance of winning his maiden Major at Wimbledon 2022.
1) Nick Kyrgios
The 27-year old Australian has been in sensational form on grass, winning seven out of nine matches this year. Notably, he defeated World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas in three gruelling sets.
Kyrgios has a big serve with an underarm serve as an element of surprise and an aggressive baseline game which is very effective on grass. If he can get through the initial rounds then the favorites Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berretteni will be wary of the temperamental Australian.
