Five upcoming players to watch out for in Wimbledon
After capturing his 10th Halle Open this month, Swiss legend Roger Federer’s confidence will be sky high ahead of the Wimbledon Championships which is about to begin on 1st July. The 37-year-old will be aiming to win his 21st Grand Slam title at his favorite hunting ground.
On the other hand, Rafael Nadal, who recently won his 12th French Open title, will also be aiming to continue his good run at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic, who won the Australian Open this year in January, is looking in good shape as well after regaining his form last year. The Serbian could take inspiration from his win at Wimbledon last year.
Andy Murray, who recently won the Queens Club Championships in the doubles category partnering Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, will not be taking part as he has undergone hip surgery. However, the Briton had indicated that he might return to the court at the US Open.
It will be a tight race between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic and as the tournament proceeds further the competition between them could get even more intriguing. This Wimbledon will be one of the most open events in recent years as there are some fine talents who are slowly making their mark in the Tennis circuit.
Apart from the big four, we have got some high-quality players who are trying to establish themselves on the big stage. These players have got the ability to challenge the big guns of the game and it is only a matter of time before these players will be the biggest stars in the sport. We take a look at five such players could be the center point of this particular Wimbledon event.
# 1 Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem is considered to be the next shining star in Tennis circles. The 26-year-old produced some decent performances last year by winning the Lyon open in May and finished runners-up in the Madrid Open in the same month losing to Alexander Zverev in the finals.
The Austrian also finished runners up against Rafael Nadal in the French Open last year. He also won the Argentina Open in February last year by beating Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia in the finals with a 6-2, 6-4 scoreline. He won the St Petersburg Open in Russia in September last year by beating Martin Klizan of Slovakia with a 6-3, 6-1 scoreline.
He also made it to the semi-finals of the Paris Open in November last year. Thiem made it to the final of the French Open this month, losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. His destructive forehands combined with his solid ground-strokes can trouble any opponent.
His quick ground-strokes have outdone many opponents, Thiem's top spins are also quite useful.
Thiem’s calmness helps him during pressure situations, which the Austrian had said helps him focus whenever he plays a tricky opponent. His single-handed backhands are also one of his main strengths.