Wimbledon - The Championships - 2014 - General Discussion Thread

Which player wins the £ 1,760,000 + 2000 points in 2014?


  • Total voters
    104
  • Poll closed .

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Interestingly, most of us probably agree that Stepanek could be very awkward for Djokovic in R2, although he has a worse record than Benneteau in recent years and is 35 years old - Benneteau is 32, lol.
Stepanek has just reached semi in Queen's, Bennet lost in 1st round.
Are you sure you're ok? I'm starting to worry about you...
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
I actually think Ferrer would have a fair chance. I mean, it was close in 2012 and Murray served better back then. Ferrer might have a field day with Murray's current second serve. If he recovers from that flu or whatever he has.

Looking at Ferrer's draw, it does seem kind. Providing he can get over his illness I can't see him not at least reaching the 4th round where as, meanwhile, Dimitrov might have to deal with Dolgopolov beforehand. I'm not sure what sort of challenge Thiem will bring on grass, he could be good? No idea, but his first round opponent is a young Aussie with a good all-court game who came through qualifying too.
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
Not sure if serious. Benny is way more accomplished on grass than Andujar and has pushed Federer hard at Wimbledon before. I've already said that Dimitrov will probably be a tougher quarter-final opponent on grass than Wawrinka and so is Ferrer, but that's just one round.

I certainly shan't call any of them tools though.

Benneteau is world #45 and a good grass courter. He was also 2 sets up and almost beat Federer at Wimbledon in 2012, which Federer went on to win.

He is leaps and bounds a tougher opponent than world #79 clay courter Andujar. Especially in the 2R.
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
Sorry but I can't believe you're panicking about BENNETEAU (of all people) for Fed on GRASS. You need to relax mate :oops:

There aren't many tougher unseeded opponents for Federer than Benneteau. Benneteau even beat Federer on indoor hard, arguably his best surface, last year.
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
Stepanek has just reached semi in Queen's, Bennet lost in 1st round.

Well done to Stepanek, and I think he's a bigger R2 challenge than Benny on the grass overall, but the difference is hardly so substantial. Also Benneteau just had a fair performance at the Aegon International, falling to Querrey in the quarter-finals.
 

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
Lol, is this a joke? Not only is Benneteau ancient but he usually loses in 1st 2 rounds at Wimby. You cannot be serious!

Surely, you're only jesting?
http://youtu.be/dpH79DIricM?t=3m5s
(let me refresh your memory. Fed was down 0-2 in sets, Benneteau was serving at 6-all in the 4th set TB. And that was in a year, where Fed was playing a hell of a lot better than he is now).

And how can you count the Dog (who he can only play in the quarters) + Anderson for Murray and not count Wawrinka (who hasn't got a great grass record, but did win a grass tournament last year and is still undefeated vs. top-10 this year)???
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
Sorry but I can't believe you're panicking about BENNETEAU (of all people) for Fed on GRASS. You need to relax mate :oops:

I never once began to infer that I'm panicking about Benneteau. I don't expect any of the top seeds to lose in the second round. I'm making comparative assessments, not suggesting Federer is going to lose to Benneteau. You could be more respectful with your tone though, I'd say.
 

Chico

Banned
Well done to Stepanek, and I think he's a bigger R2 challenge than Benny on the grass overall, but the difference is hardly so substantial. Also Benneteau just had a fair performance at the Aegon International, falling to Querrey in the quarter-finals.

Of course he will face Djokovic in rd2. Could Novak's draw be any more difficult? I don't think so. It is disgusting.
 

FreeBird

Legend
How far they go?
MY opinion:

Thiem: 1R (Grass mug)
Nishikori: QF (Easy Draw, I see him walk through Raonic if they meet)
Dimitrov: QF (East Draw, no threats till QF if Ferrer and Dolgo not fit)
Gulbis: SF (I fear for Djoko)
Vesely:3R( will defeat Monfils)
Klizan: 1R (grass mug)
Raonic: 4R (will lose to Nishikori)
Kyrgios: 4R (will lose to Rafa)
JJ: 4R (will lose to Fed)
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
Of course he will face Djokovic in rd2. Could Novak's draw be any more difficult? I don't think so. It is disgusting.

He has a tough road and needs to be on high alert from the beginning. I don't doubt though that he'll make his way through to Murray/Dimitrov.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Benneteau is world #45 and a good grass courter. .



In what parallel universe? :shock:

Out of 10 participations in Queen's, Bennet lost in 1st round 5 times (including this year) and in 2nd round 3 times. He's never reached a quarter.
Out of 10 W participations, he's lost in 1st round 4 times and in 2nd round 3 times.
Benneteau's best surface is indoor hard, which is why most of the finals he's reached were on that surface and why that's where he scored his 2 victories over Fed.

ETA: he's #47
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
How far they go?
MY opinion:

Thiem: 1R (Grass mug)
Nishikori: QF (Easy Draw, I see him walk through Raonic if they meet)
Dimitrov: QF (East Draw, no threats till QF if Ferrer and Dolgo not fit)
Gulbis: SF (I fear for Djoko)
Vesely:3R( will defeat Monfils)
Klizan: 1R (grass mug)
Raonic: 4R (will lose to Nishikori)
Kyrgios: 4R (will lose to Rafa)
JJ: 4R (will lose to Fed)

Have you seen Thiem on grass? His game is full of long wind-ups and his first round opponent is potentially dangerous though very unproven... noticing now he got schooled in round 1 of the Aegon International by Goffin.

Gulbis - very unproven on grass, a semi-final? Seems ambitious.

Kyrgios - Gasquet should prove to be very difficult to beat on the grass. They've faced before as well and Gasquet won in 3, but Kyrgios is on the fast rise and does have a good recent grass tournament Challenger win.
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
In what parallel universe? :shock:

Out of 10 participations in Queen's, Bennet lost in 1st round 5 times (including this year) and in 2nd round 3 times. He's never reached a quarter.
Out of 10 W participations, he's lost in 1st round 4 times and in 2nd round 3 times.
Benneteau's best surface is indoor hard, which is why most of the finals he's reached were on that surface and why that's where he scored his 2 victories over Fed.

ETA: he's #47

Based on how I saw him play Fed in 2012 :shock:

I was impressed with his game. He even played Fed competitively at RG last year.

Last 5 years at Wimbledon his losses have been to Verdasco (who almost beat Murray in the quarters last year), Federer, Berdych, Tsonga, and Djokovic. He isn't losing to nobodies and frequently plays above his rank. His matches from 10 years ago aren't really relevant.
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
Overrated.

Well Dimitrov's recent grass form is good. Murray hasn't won a title in a year now but it isn't like Djokovic is some grass-court killer... still favour him though over either in a potential semi-final given the current circumstances. I doubt Djokovic's wrist injury is serious right now.
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
FreeBird -

Also, as for Klizan, you seem to know his game very well. Is his game really so bad for the grass? There's no shame in losing to Gasquet...
 

FreeBird

Legend
Have you seen Thiem on grass? His game is full of long wind-ups and his first round opponent is potentially dangerous though very unproven... noticing now he got schooled in round 1 of the Aegon International by Goffin.

Gulbis - very unproven on grass, a semi-final? Seems ambitious.

Kyrgios - Gasquet should prove to be very difficult to beat on the grass. They've faced before as well and Gasquet won in 3, but Kyrgios is on the fast rise and does have a good recent grass tournament Challenger win.

Well Dimitrov's recent grass form is good. Murray hasn't won a title in a year now but it isn't like Djokovic is some grass-court killer... still favour him though over either in a potential semi-final given the current circumstances. I doubt Djokovic's wrist injury is serious right now.


I saw all Thiem's boodles matches. In short, he sucks.

I am impressed by Gulbis' S and V tactics at boodles. Gulbis needs to keep the point shorter. A lot of shanks in long rallies.

Kyrgios lost to him in a Davis cup match this year. Didn't he? But grass will favor Kyrgios. Gasquet looks perplexed and overpowered against big hitters. I saw some of Kyrgios' challenger matches. We are about to witness his GS breakthrough.

Aren't we talking about a guy who has 0 Top 10 GS wins? He will probably pass through Ferrer and Dolgo but Murray is bit too much for him. No chance, I say.
 
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Nathaniel_Near

Guest
I saw all Thiem's boodles matches. In short, he sucks.

I am impressed by Gulbis' S and V tactics at boodles. Gulbis needs to keep the point shorter. A lot of shanks in long rallies.

Kyrgios lost to him in a Davis cup match this year. Didn't he? But grass will favor Kyrgios. Gasquet looks perplexed and overpowered against big hitters. I saw some of Kyrgios' challenger matches. We are about to witness his GS breakthrough.

Aren't we talking about a guy who has 0 Top 10 GS wins? He will probably pass through Ferrer and Dolgo but Murray is bit too much for him. No chance, I say.

Thanks for the updates, I haven't bothered to watch the matches of the Boodles event.

..Tempted to agree except that I'm just not a Murray believer post surgery -- he has had no top 10 wins this year, unlike Dimitrov. Therefore, if Dimitrov (and Murray) get there, he'll have a good chance.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Of course he will face Djokovic in rd2. Could Novak's draw be any more difficult? I don't think so. It is disgusting.
Djoko's draw;

2- Stepanek (not a tool on grass, QF at W but hey it was a long time ago, he's 35 and it's best of 5 + he's a rather good matchup for Novak)
3- Haase (maybe not the easiest possible but nothing terrible, much better than Cilic in RG. THAT was the worst possible imo)
R16- Tsonga (that's a tough one if Tsonga hits form, always one of the most dangerous floaters at W, ask Fed. Let's hope it's Querrey instead haha)
Quarter- Berd or Gulb (another tough one but Berd's form hasn't been the best lately and Gulb's mental is always breakable)
SF- Murray (Bye-bye Nole, see you next year :( , and take care of that wrist damn it!). Djoko can always pray for a miracle. If it's Dimi or Ferrer, he'll surely make the final)

This draw is pointing to a destruction of Murray by Nadal in the final. That is IF Nadal passes Karlo (oh come on), Gasquet (headcase of the century) and Raonic (who sucks on grass as everyone knows), I almost forgot Kohly (good grass game but good matchup for Rafa).
Despite the draw, I'm picking Rafa over Fed in best of 5 to make it all the way (age and stamina)
That means, I'm picking Rafa to win it all. He's the worst possible matchup for Murray, sorry Brits!
It's a gutsy pick, he could fall in 1st 2 rounds again but if he passes them, I bet he'll lift that 3rd W trophy. (Especially if it's Murray in final, a bit less clear vs Djoko but so much less likely Djoko will make it through his draw)
 

FreeBird

Legend
FreeBird -

Also, as for Klizan, you seem to know his game very well. Is his game really so bad for the grass? There's no shame in losing to Gasquet...

IIRC, he has a negative record or maybe very poor record on grass.. His movement is not fluid on grass. He requires time to set up his lethal FH. Something which would bother him on grass. Also, his approach shots suck. Coming to net on those poor approaches is a recipe for disaster.

Against Gasquet, he showed impatience on crucial points. (e.g. Going for wild FH DTL break point down). Otherwise he played OK.
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
Djokovic: Golubev, Stepanek, Haase, Youzhny/Querrey/Tsonga, Berdych/Gulbis

Murray: Goffin, Andujar, Bautista/Johnson/Kamke, Anderson, Ferrer/Dimitrov

Federer: Lorenzi, Muller/Benneteau, Mahut, Janowicz, Isner/Lopez/Wawrinka

Nadal: Klizan, Paire/Rosol, Karlovic, Gasquet, Raonic/Nishikori/Kohlschreiber

Hard to say who got the toughest quarter.

Murray got the easiest one IMO. Federer's draw is full of big hitters.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
How far they go?
MY opinion:

Thiem: 1R (Grass mug)
Nishikori: QF (Easy Draw, I see him walk through Raonic if they meet)
Dimitrov: QF (East Draw, no threats till QF if Ferrer and Dolgo not fit)
Gulbis: SF (I fear for Djoko)
Vesely:3R( will defeat Monfils)
Klizan: 1R (grass mug)
Raonic: 4R (will lose to Nishikori)
Kyrgios: 4R (will lose to Rafa)
JJ: 4R (will lose to Fed)

I don't see Gulbis making that type of run. His forehand return got abused all match long by Djokovic on clay. I will be very interested to see how his forehand holds up on grass.
 

underground

G.O.A.T.
My predictions:

- Djokovic will lose due to injury
- Nadal loses to Klizan (plus Spain has left the World Cup :twisted:)

QF:

Berdych def. Djokovic
Murray def. Dimitrov
Federer def. Isner
Raonic def. Gasquet

SF:

Berdych def. Murray
Federer def. Raonic

F:

Federer def. Berdych in 5

What's the point of making predictions if they're the usual suspects right?

I'm not sure if it was for the whole match.

Their Wimbledon 2012 match had the roof close since the beginning. As long as the roof isn't closed I'm not worried if the two meet. Plus Benneteau is not the player he is two years ago.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Last 5 years at Wimbledon his losses have been to Verdasco (who almost beat Murray in the quarters last year), Federer, Berdych, Tsonga, and Djokovic. he isn't losing to nobodies .


You're right about that. Terrible draw luck. That being said, at Queen's, he just lost to Estrella Burgos, hum, talking about nobodies...
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
I expect Giles Muller to come through R1 against Bennett. He has been in rich vein of form.

Fed needs to play better tie breaks and not the type he has been playing this year. Else I see this match going to 5 sets with multiple tie breakers.
 

FreeBird

Legend
I don't see Gulbis making that type of run. His forehand return got abused all match long by Djokovic on clay. I will be very interested to see how his forehand holds up on grass.

Did you see his boodles matches? He was S and Ving all the time. If he can mix it up well, Djokovic will be in trouble. He needs to avoid long baseline exchanges. There have been a lot of shanks from his FH side since converting to that weird FH. Gulbis shanks more than Shankerer nowadays. :lol:
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
Djokovic: Golubev, Stepanek, Haase, Youzhny/Querrey/Tsonga, Berdych/Gulbis

Murray: Goffin, Andujar, Bautista/Johnson/Kamke, Anderson, Ferrer/Dimitrov

Federer: Lorenzi, Muller/Benneteau, Mahut, Janowicz, Isner/Lopez/Wawrinka

Nadal: Klizan, Paire/Rosol, Karlovic, Gasquet, Raonic/Nishikori/Kohlschreiber

Hard to say who got the toughest quarter.

Murray got the easiest one IMO. Federer's draw is full of big hitters.

Other than Karlovic, it is a straight pass for Nadal to the finals.

Federer , on the other hand, has a tricky draw. He has a difficult 2R/4R/QF/SF.
 

MindoverMatter

Professional
Did you see his boodles matches? He was S and Ving all the time. If he can mix it up well, Djokovic will be in trouble. He needs to avoid long baseline exchanges. There have been a lot of shanks from his FH side since converting to that weird FH. Gulbis shanks more than Shankerer nowadays. :lol:

I'll have to watch his matches now. The Boodles is a pretty smart place to test out tactics like that, because it's real match experience against an actual opponent without any consequences. I imagine he wouldn't be using S&V as much at Wimbledon, but being able to pull it out when he's up in his service game, say, to change it up every now and then would be great. And then, just having the confidence to volley on grass, so he can come up and end points more easily, is good too.
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
Other than Karlovic, it is a straight pass for Nadal to the finals.

Federer , on the other hand, has a tricky draw. He has a difficult 2R/4R/QF/SF.

There's no such thing as a straight pass for Nadal to the finals on grass.

Literally. It could be loaded with clay court mugs and he'd still be lucky to pull through.

Darcis had 1 win at Wimbledon before facing Nadal. Rosol also had just 1.
 
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Down_the_line

G.O.A.T.
Whoever has Lopez in their section of the draw is probably going to be a bit frustrated. Finalist at Queen's Club and a finalist this week in Eastbourne.

Looks like it's Wawrinka/Isner who will have to deal with him.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Whoever has Lopez in their section of the draw is probably going to be a bit frustrated. Finalist at Queen's Club and a finalist this week in Eastbourne.

Looks like it's Wawrinka/Isner who will have to deal with him.
I'm wondering how many days the Isner/Lopez (3rd round) could last :twisted:
 

sbengte

G.O.A.T.
Comments in bold...

How far they go?
MY opinion:

Nishikori: QF (Easy Draw, I see him walk through Raonic if they meet)
Back is dodgy , fitness suspect, don't know how he moves on grass....don't think he makes the quarters.


Dimitrov: QF (East Draw, no threats till QF if Ferrer and Dolgo not fit)
He has a way of flaming out when you expect him to do well. QF likely but after his Queens win, won't be surprised if he bombs out early in a 5 setter

Gulbis: SF (I fear for Djoko)
Nah, he is not going to keep his consistency and go deep in two consecutive slams, no way. I hope not :neutral:


Klizan: 1R (grass mug)
Agree. Weren't we talking about him before the RG draw, reminiscing about RG2013 ? He landed in Nadal's R1 draw alright, but wrong slam :twisted:

Raonic: 4R (will lose to Nishikori)
If Nishi makes it to R4, these two will play a marathon 5 setter so the winner can prostrate before Nadal in the QF . It always works that way ;-)
 

aldeayeah

G.O.A.T.
It would be embarrassing for Fed you mean? Fed's only chance is an early exit from Rafa.

Cincy 2013 wasn't embarrassing for Fed, and if he's in good enough form to make the semis, I don't think Wimbledon 2014 will be either. Don't think he can win with the roof open, though.
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
Fed couldn't have asked for a better draw...Nadal would like a do over

They have comparable draws IMO. The question mark is whether Janowicz will perform like he did last year. He's much tougher than Nadal's 4R. He would've preferred Gasquet or Fog to him.
 

aldeayeah

G.O.A.T.
Well, Gasquet is a decent grass player, and he seems to be recovering his form. The match-up with Nadal is simply horrible though.
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
Well, Gasquet is a decent grass player, and he seems to be recovering his form. The match-up with Nadal is simply horrible though.

It isn't a matchup issue, he's just the biggest pigeon in the history of the sport. He's 3-34 against Fedalovic. 2 wins were on clay against Federer and 1 was against Novak in 2007.

He rarely manages to win a set against these guys and often gets blown out 6-1 6-2 like he did against Federer in Miami. For someone who has spent so much time in the top 10, he's absolutely embarrassing against top guys.
 

aldeayeah

G.O.A.T.
It isn't a matchup issue, he's just the biggest pigeon in the history of the sport. He's 3-34 against Fedalovic. 2 wins were on clay against Federer and 1 was against Novak in 2007.

He rarely manages to win a set against these guys and often gets blown out 6-1 6-2 like he did against Federer in Miami. For someone who has spent so much time in the top 10, he's absolutely embarrassing against top guys.

Aye, I remember last USO.
 
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