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The world’s greatest tennis players will converge upon southwest London to battle it out for glory at Wimbledon next week. It promises to be one of the sporting highlights of the summer and here are the five main talking points heading into the tournament:
Brexit hits prize purses
The tournament’s organisers announced that the total prize money this year will stand at £34 million, an increase of £2.4 million on last year. However, the pound is weak at the moment as concerns over the impact of Britain’s exit from the EU have negatively affected the country’s economy. That means the French Open has now overtaken Wimbledon as a more lucrative tournament, with prize money reaching an equivalent of £34.3 million earlier this year. Meanwhile, the US Open is set to blow both Wimbledon and the French Open out of the water when it announces its prize money later this year. Still, do not feel too bad for the athletes taking part at Wimbledon this year: first round losers will walk away with £39,000, more than the average annual salary in Britain, while the winner will take home a cool £2.25 million.
Fed Express ready to hurtle into town
World number one Roger Federer is worth an estimated $320 million, so he will not be unduly motivated by the cash prize on offer. What drives the Fed Express is his pursuit of silverware and his desire to secure his legacy as the most successful male tennis player of all time. He leads the way with 20 Grand Slams, but rival Rafael Nadal cut his lead to just three when the Spaniard secured the French Open title last month. Nadal is four years younger than Federer and should be good for another few French Open victories, so the Swiss knows he needs to keep adding to his tally. Wimbledon represents the perfect opportunity. He is the most successful player in the history of this tournament, having won it on eight occasions, and he comes alive on grass. He endured a five-year trophy drought in the Grand Slams, but ended it emphatically at the 2017 Australian Open. Federer followed that up with victory at Wimbledon last year, and he won the Australian Open again at the start of 2018. He has just sat out the clay court season in order to preserve his 36-year-old body for this tournament, and he is the clear frontrunner in the spread betting on tennis. He is in outrageous form in the twilight of his career, playing with aggression to negate the yard of pace he has lost, and he really should romp to another Wimbledon victory.
Injury concerns over big name stars
One reason behind Federer’s renaissance over the past 18 months is the injuries that have befallen key rivals. Home favourite Andy Murray has been out injured for the last 11 months, sliding from first down to 156th in the world rankings. He has only played twice since his return and he may not even make Wimbledon. Former world number one Novak Djokovic has also been hit with a raft of injury problems, and the sport has really taken its toll on these two. Ditto Stan Wawrinka, another former Grand Slam winner whose better days are behind him. The youngsters coming through, from Alexander Zverev to Nick Kyrgios, are yet to deliver on their potential in the big tournaments, allowing Federer and Nadal to share the last six Grand Slams between them. Nadal is third in the betting to win Wimbledon, but the clay court king has never really excelled on grass. Marin Cilic might make things interesting, but it is hard to see anyone stopping Federer.
Williams may be unseeded
Serena Williams needs just one more Grand Slam to move level with Margaret Court as the most successful female player of all time. She was in magnificent form before taking a break from the game to have a baby, and she now faces the daunting task of returning to the summit of the game, aged 36. She has slipped to 181st in the world, and she was unseeded for the French Open, where she played well but ultimately retired with an injury. She is set to be unseeded once more at Wimbledon, although fellow players have called upon the organisers to have her a seeded spot.
Women’s game is thrillingly unpredictable
Williams’ absence has blown the women’s game wide open and we have seen many first time Grand Slam winners in the past year. While a sense of foreboding grips the men’s game, as established heavyweights like Federer and Nadal march grimly on, the women’s game is characterised by an exhilarating unpredictability. Anything can happen, upsets are commonplace, the betting markets are wide open and unseeded players can win Grand Slams. Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, Madison Keys and Elina Svitolina all have a chance of success at Wimbledon, but do not be surprised if a rank outsider rises to the top.
