Wimbledon 2017 Draw Analysis: How do things stack up for Federer, Djokovic and Nadal?
Draws have been announced for Wimbledon 2017, which commences on the 3rd of July. Where do the Big Four stand, and how do the draws look?
Here’s an analysis:
First Quarter
Andy Murray, the top seed and defending champion here, headlines the first quarter, and has an easy first couple of rounds especially considering his grass court prowess. The Scot will not know who his Round 1 opponent is, playing a qualifier to begin.
In his quarter are some potentially dangerous players, especially so considering Murray is struggling with a hip injury going into the tournament and opted out of a few practice sessions early on.
The Scot could face Joao Sousa – or mercurial German Dustin Brown next, and although Brown has been in less than ideal form, his big serving, aided by the quick grass courts of Wimbledon, could create some obstacles for Murray.
Brown ousted Nadal in Round 2 at Wimbledon in 2015 – so he is not unfamiliar with big upsets.
It is Murray, however, who of the Big Four has the easiest draw; he sets up a potential meeting with Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals. The Swiss ace, who won his third Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, has been in scintillating form ever since, making the semi-finals at the Australian Open – and then the finals of the French Open.
Although Wawrinka has never reached beyond the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, he has won each of the other Grand Slams once – and is no slouch on grass. The Swiss could well go deep and upset an already struggling Murray here, but until the quarter-finals, Murray is the one who can rest easy until the preliminary rounds.
That said, Murray is struggling – with early losses at grass warm-ups and a continuously troubling hip injury, his Wimbledon showing could well be at risk.