Wimbledon 2015: The players to look out for
The 129th edition of the championship, which is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, begins on the 29th of June. It is considered the most prestigious of all the tennis tournaments, and is held annually at the All England Club in London, in the Borough of Wimbledon, from which it takes its name. It is one of the four Grand Slams of the tennis year.
Here we profile some players who could shake up the routine at Wimbledon:
Nicolas Mahut (Wild Card Entry)
It is often said that when it come to grass courts, some players turn heroes. One of them is the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. The 33-year-old has reached 5 finals and won 3 titles in his career, all on grass courts. He opened his account this year with a title at the Topshelf Open held in the Netherlands earlier this June.
In tandem with compatriot Pierre-Hugues Herbert, he reached the finals at the same event and won the title at the Queen’s Club the following week. Although he needs a wildcard to enter the draw, he is not an easy opponent.
He could potentially face Tomas Berdych in the second round in a match that could be decisive in his Wimbledon campaign this year. A win there could lead him to a better result than this third round finish last year.
Her first round match will be played against Filip Krajinovic of Serbia.
Kristina Mladenovic
In the past few years, Frenchwoman Mladenovic has been responsible for a few major upset spoiling the chances of many a winner. Her victorious streak continued this month as she took out Simona Halep in three sets at the AEGON Classic. When she enters Wimbledon, she could pose a threat to many top players, and brings with her the potential for an upset at the British grass tournament. Wimbledon has been the venue for several of Mladenovic’s career firsts: her first grand slam (mixed doubles) in 2013, and her first women’s doubles final in 2014.
Her first round match will be played against Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania.