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Goran Ivanisevic rates Rafael Nadal as Wimbledon favourite, with Andy Murray in fourth
George BellshawSunday 25 Jun 2017 1:55 pm
Murray is not fancied by Ivanisevic (Picture: Getty)
Andy Murray is ‘fourth favourite’ to retain his Wimbledon crown and is behind Queen’s finalist Marin Cilic in the pecking order, according to Goran Ivanisevic.
The world No. 1 has struggled for form in recent months and suffered a shock defeat in the first round at the Aegon Championships to lucky loser Jordan Thompson.
Cilic, meanwhile, has enjoyed a fine week at Queen’s and will face Feliciano Lopez in the final on Sunday.
And his former coach Ivanisevic, who won Wimbledon in 2001, rates his chances above the Scot’s at the third Grand Slam of the year.
Could Cilic cause a shock? (Picture: AFP/Getty)
‘He plays very well on grass, but nobody talks about him,’ said Ivanisevic.
‘He’s got the game, it’s just an issue of mentally how he’s going to cope with the pressure.
‘If he continues to play aggressively, the only way he can play, he can be very dangerous there.
Ivanisevic is backing Rafa (Picture: Getty)
‘For the moment, he [Murray] is my fourth favourite. Murray’s lost confidence. He’s not hitting the ball well enough. I’m thinking about the form, the way they’re playing and how they can do. But who knows how it’s going to turn out?’
Ivanisevic, who coached Cilic to US Open glory in 2014, is certain that Roger Federer has a better chance than the world No. 1 but rates Rafael Nadal’s chances highly and believes he will be the favourite if he gets beyond the first week.
‘Rafa is very mentally strong,’ he added. ‘At the moment, he’s the best player in the world. It depends on the draw. I would pick Nadal if he passes the first week.
Marin Cilic aiming to follow idol Goran Ivanisevic's path at Wimbledon
‘Could he be vulnerable in the first week? You never know. You look at what happened the last couple of years, he had tough opponents who beat him before in Dustin Brown and Nick Kyrgios
‘But he’s hitting the ball amazingly and he’s going to be tough to beat him.’
He continued: ‘Let’s put [Novak] Djokovic as fifth favourite. He’s not playing anything like he was, so we have to see what kind of shape he’s going to be in.’
George BellshawSunday 25 Jun 2017 1:55 pm
Murray is not fancied by Ivanisevic (Picture: Getty)
Andy Murray is ‘fourth favourite’ to retain his Wimbledon crown and is behind Queen’s finalist Marin Cilic in the pecking order, according to Goran Ivanisevic.
The world No. 1 has struggled for form in recent months and suffered a shock defeat in the first round at the Aegon Championships to lucky loser Jordan Thompson.
Cilic, meanwhile, has enjoyed a fine week at Queen’s and will face Feliciano Lopez in the final on Sunday.
And his former coach Ivanisevic, who won Wimbledon in 2001, rates his chances above the Scot’s at the third Grand Slam of the year.
Could Cilic cause a shock? (Picture: AFP/Getty)
‘He plays very well on grass, but nobody talks about him,’ said Ivanisevic.
‘He’s got the game, it’s just an issue of mentally how he’s going to cope with the pressure.
‘If he continues to play aggressively, the only way he can play, he can be very dangerous there.
Ivanisevic is backing Rafa (Picture: Getty)
‘For the moment, he [Murray] is my fourth favourite. Murray’s lost confidence. He’s not hitting the ball well enough. I’m thinking about the form, the way they’re playing and how they can do. But who knows how it’s going to turn out?’
Ivanisevic, who coached Cilic to US Open glory in 2014, is certain that Roger Federer has a better chance than the world No. 1 but rates Rafael Nadal’s chances highly and believes he will be the favourite if he gets beyond the first week.
‘Rafa is very mentally strong,’ he added. ‘At the moment, he’s the best player in the world. It depends on the draw. I would pick Nadal if he passes the first week.
Marin Cilic aiming to follow idol Goran Ivanisevic's path at Wimbledon
‘Could he be vulnerable in the first week? You never know. You look at what happened the last couple of years, he had tough opponents who beat him before in Dustin Brown and Nick Kyrgios
‘But he’s hitting the ball amazingly and he’s going to be tough to beat him.’
He continued: ‘Let’s put [Novak] Djokovic as fifth favourite. He’s not playing anything like he was, so we have to see what kind of shape he’s going to be in.’
