Aces to watch at Wimbledon

We believe the winner of the 2012 Wimbledon men's trophy will be one of the top four seeded players.

If you asked punters who will clinch the 2012 Wimbledon trophy, they’d be inclined to place their bets on either the No.1 seed, defending champion Novak Djokovic or second-placed Rafael Nadal. Then there’s the million-dollar question of whether third-seed Roger Federer could turn back time and clinch Wimbledon for the seventh time. But you can’t help but feel sorry for the world No.4 Andy Murray, who’s been runner-up at three major tournaments in the past. Some believe he would have clinched at least one major title had he been playing tennis in a different era.

While it’s no surprise that the top four coasted through to the second round, experience has over the years taught us to expect surprises – as we have just witnessed the early exit of Venus Williams in the women’s contest at Wimbledon.

So let’s chat about what makes the top four men the ones to watch at Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic
We expect the Serb to fire on all cylinders in this tournnament as he recently lost to Nadal in the final of the French Open at Roland Garros. To be fair to Djokovic, he stood very little chance of beating Nadal at Roland Garros as the clay surface is the Spaniard’s favourite hunting ground. The defeat at the hands of Nadal meant that Djokovic's dream of becoming the first tennis player to hold all four grand slams at the same time since Rod Laver in 1969 was shattered.

Rafael Nadal
Rafa had already earned the accolade “The King of Clay” long before he won the French Open a record seven times when he dismissed Djokovic at Roland Garros. But we all know that he can outplay opponents on any surface, as he’s claimed the Wimbledon title two times already. If there’s anyone who can stop Dkokovic from defending his title it's Nadal, and he’d probably want to keep the momentum going after his last victory.

Roger Federer
The Maestro might not have won a Grand Slam in the last 30 months, but he once ruled at Wimbledon. Out of the 16 major titles Federer has under his belt, six came from Wimbledon. There’s no doubt that he’s the hungriest for a major title after the two mentioned above, but he’ll have to dig deep in his well of experience as he’s competing against an extraordinary crop of players in Nadal and Djokovic.

Andy Murray
Murray must be tired being runner-up at major tournaments, and he’s probably hoping to be the first Brit to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. But many sport analysts don’t see that happening any time soon. Murray better pray hard he doesn’t meet Nadal along the way. The Spaniard has beaten Murray more than any other tennis player. Out of the 18 times they’ve locked horns, Nadal has won 13 of those encounters.