Wimbledon ’22 - Class and Controversy

The oldest Grand Slam gets underway from 27 July to 10 July and, while there is still plenty of prestige to play for at the oldest Grand Slam, controversy has marred its significance for many.

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club took a firm stance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as such the tournament has been stripped of all rankings points.

Nevertheless, plenty of star power has committed to the classiest Grand Slam of them all and, despite some notable absentees, the action on court is set to be as scintillating as ever.

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LUCKY NO7

To say that 2022 has not been kind to Novak Djokovic would be putting it mildly, but a return to a happy hunting ground might be just the tonic that the Serb needs to etch his name into the history books yet again.

Three major milestones are on offer for the World No 3, the first of which would be joining Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, whose titles came before the Open Era, as the players with the second most Wimbledon titles, with a total of seven championships, one behind Roger Federer.

Djokovic stands to become only the fourth man since the Open Era to win four consecutive Wimbledon titles, joining the likes of Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, and Sampras.

And lastly, if Novak was to claim his 20th Grand Slam title he would move one clear of Roger Federer on the all-time list and one behind Rafael Nadal, who won his 22nd at Roland Garros 2022.

CALENDAR SLAM ON

At 36 years old and struggling with keeping an aging body fit, one would have been forgiven for thinking that 2022 could be a barren year for Rafael Nadal.

Alas the champion, as champions do, proved to be more resilient than many would have thought possible. Overcoming injuries in the build-up to both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, the Spaniard went on to claim both titles, which puts him in a position heading into Wimbledon that he has never been in before.

2022 will be the first time that Nadal is in with a shot of winning a Calendar Slam, a feat achieved by just five players, the last of which was Steffi Graff in 1988. Nadal has not won the title at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2010 so, while recent history might not be on his side, he has already proven twice this year that writing his chances off is not always the smartest thing to do.

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN

The Queen of tennis is making a surprise comeback at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2022 which means that #SERENA24 is back on the table.

Since picking up her 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open (while pregnant with her daughter) the world has waited with bated breath for Serena Williams to join Margaret Court as the most decorated player in tennis with 24 Grand Slam titles.

After giving birth Serena returned stronger than ever and gave herself four opportunities to claim her 24th Grand Slam title but twice at Wimbledon and The US Open, in 2018 and 2019, she was denied at the final hurdle. Serena did not make the final of a Grand Slam in 2020 despite picking up her first WTA title since becoming a mom and in 2021 a thigh injury forced her out of the first round of Wimbledon, which plagued her for almost a year until it was announced that she would get a wildcard entry to the 2022 Championships.

With little to no tennis under her belt, it would be almost unfair to expect too much from her but as we know champions thrive under adversity and Serena is no different. So, while the feat of winning Wimbledon 2022 would be a staggering achievement for Serena, if she does, it would not be completely out of character for one of the greatest champions to ever grace the tennis court.

TOP OF THE WORLD

When Ashleigh Barty retired from tennis earlier this year Iga Swiatek inherited the World no1 ranking and has not looked back since.

The Pole has been on fire in 2022 and her run of 35 consecutive victories culminated in claiming her second Roland Garros title last month.

Swiatek’s record at Wimbledon makes for less than impressive reading though, having played just five matches in her two previous visits to The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. There is no doubt that she has the talent to succeed. The only question that remains is, can she get the job done on a surface she has never won a WTA title on. If she does manage to pull off the feat she would join the likes of Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Steffi Graff on the list of ladies who have won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.

THE OUTSIDERS

With World No 1 Daniil Medvedev banned for competing and World No 2 Alexander Zverev out injured, the door has been opened for the rest of the NextGen stars to mount a serious challenge to the dominance of Djokovic and Nadal.

Matteo Berrettini is arguably the best-placed man to mount a serious challenge, having made it all the way to the championship match last year, only to lose out to Djokovic. The Italian is in great form heading into Wimbledon, coming off the back of winning the back-to-back grass titles in Stuttgart and at the Queen's Club.

Of the other likely top-10 seeds only Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud have made it to the final of a Grand Slam; Ruud lost at Roland Garros to Nadal last month while Tsitsipas was on the losing end in Paris a year ago to Djokovic. That experience alone should place them in a better position to handle the pressure of a Grand Slam title charge.

Carlos Alcaraz announced himself as the latest superstar of men’s tennis with his form leading up to his run during Roland Garros and, while the plaudits on clay are well deserved, his experience on grass is virtually non-existent, having played just two ATP matches on the surface. There is no doubt the teenager has talent to spare but it remains to be seen if he has what it takes to produce on the green stuff.

Elsewhere, the likes of Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, and Jannik Sinner will also be looking to bolster their reputations as future Grand Slam champions by going deep at SW19, if not all the way to glory.

TEENAGE CRUSADERS

Two teenage darlings of women’s tennis have emerged in recent times and, although one has had a meteoric rise, the other has taken a more gradual ascent into the limelight of contention.

Coco Gauff emerged as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019 and became the youngest player since Jennifer Capriati, in 1991, to win a main draw singles match when she beat Venus Williams in the opening round. Though she has yet to break into the top-10 in the world ranking Gauff has steadily climbed the charts and this year broke through to her first Grand Slam final, losing to Swiatek at Roland Garros. Much is expected of the young American at SW19 this year and, if she can carry her form from Paris into the tournament, a second Grand Slam final and maybe even a first title is a real possibility.

Emma Raducanu burst into the spotlight at Wimbledon last year, becoming the youngest British woman to reach the fourth round in the Open Era. She then went on to claim a maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2021, which rocketed her to the top of everyone’s contenders' list. Her form since has waned as she has changed coaches and struggled with injury. With the home crowd behind her and a Grand Slam title in the bank, she could go on to mount a serious challenge for honours in 2022.