At Roland Garros, I felt the top four players on the Men's Tour had been given fairly kind draws and it turned out that way with only Andy Murray failing to make the Semi Final when he ran into a better clay court player in David Ferrer at the Quarter Final stage.
This time, I think it is not going to be as straight-forward for any of the top four to reach the Semi Finals and Final and there is every chance we won't see the fifth consecutive Final contested between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
In the Women's draw, there are some intriguing questions to be answered- how high is Serena Williams' motivation and can she recover from her early loss at the French Open? How will Maria Sharapova cope with the challenge of winning back to back Grand Slams? Can Petra Kvitova find her form and retain her title from twelve months ago? And can Victoria Azarenka remind everyone why she was tipped to dominate the Women's game after going on a long unbeaten run to start the season?
Both events look like they will provide a lot of pleasurable viewing and I can't wait for the tournament to start on Monday.
Men's Event
First Quarter
As per normal, this is the section reserved for the Number 1 seed and, in this case, it is also for the defending Champion as Novak Djokovic will proudly see his name at the top of the draw.
I don't know how Djokovic will be feeling about his draw- on the one hand, it is an awkward one but very negotiable, on the other, it is one that could provide a surprise if he is anything less than at the top of his game.
A First Round clash with Juan Carlos Ferrero does not pose the same level of threat that it would have a couple of seasons ago, but the former World Number 1 should not be under-estimated as he is still capable of producing his game on an one off occasion. Those occasions are rarer and rarer these days and it is hard to see him being consistent enough in these longer best of five matches.
Likely further matches against Yen-Hsun Lu and Radek Stepanek are, again, awkward, but winnable matches and I don't see too much affecting the Serb until Djokovic gets to the Quarter Final.
That is where Djokovic is likely to meet either Nicolas Almagro, Richard Gasquet or, much more likely in my opinion, Tomas Berdych.
Berdych is a former Finalist here at Wimbledon having beaten Djokovic and Roger Federer in consecutive rounds before falling to Rafael Nadal in the Final in 2010 and he is a very real threat on the grass courts.
The big serving Czech should negotiate the enigmatic Ernests Gulbis in the First Round and then should not have too many worries until the Fourth Round where he will face the winner of the Almagro-Gasquet match. Berdych is likely to want to avoid Almagro after a few close matches against him this season, but he will not be too bothered about facing anyone on the grass as he feels very comfortable on the surface and that would lead to that blockbuster clash between himself and Djokovic.
Djokovic has won all 7 matches against Berdych since that loss in 2010 at Wimbledon and that is the only defeat he has suffered against the big man in 10 matches overall- however, those are still some big demons to exorcise and it could be the match that ends the Serbs run in reaching Grand Slam Finals.
Prediction: Would be crazy to rule out Novak Djokovic, BUT Tomas Berdych is the kind of special player that could produce a performance to do it!
Second Quarter
The first thing that most will look at when the draws for these big events comes out is which side has Roger Federer been placed- does he face Nadal or Djokovic in the Semi Final under the seedings?
Once again, it is Djokovic who will have to face the Swiss master that has won more Grand Slam titles than anyone in history, but who has not added to his haul since 2010 at the Australian Open. Federer has been stuck on six Wimbledon titles and would dearly love to match a couple of records by winning this one.
IF Federer wins the tournament, he will once again be the World Number 1 and will also have seven Wimbledon titles- he would then level Pete Sampras for the longest time spent at World Number 1 and equal his Wimbledon haul, two records Federer would dearly love to hold.
I don't think Federer can have too many complaints early in the draw and I would expect him to see off Albert Ramos, Michael Llodra, Julien Benneteau and Fernando Verdasco before the Quarter Final stage. Out of the top four seeded players, I think Federer is the one that should make the least work out of his opponents.
At that stage, Federer could face a really tough challenge in John Isner, particularly if the Amercan's serve is working effectively... He may also come across an old rival that has given him plenty of things to think about in the past in David Nalbandian if the Argentine can beat Janko Tipsarevic in the First Round.
Nalbandian has really been playing well since moving onto the grass courts (take away his default at Queens and remember his form and the fact he was leading that Final at the point of losing his temper and making the mistake that cost him that Final) and he seems to have a run he can take advantage of IF he beats Tipsarevic.
The Argentine has split two matches with Tipsarevic on the hard courts of North America this season and it is now ten years since he reached the Final here at Wimbledon and I think he has another run in him. Tipsarevic is no mug on grass as he has reached the Fourth Round here twice before, but he has not progressed beyond the Second Round in the last three appearances at SW19 and is there for the taking (I feel bad saying that as Tipsarevic is one of the nicest tennis players I have met and I actually really respect his game on the court).
IF Nalbandian wins in the First Round, I think he makes it through to the Fourth Round and that is where he will be able to gain his revenge for the horrible call that cost him a win over John Isner at the Australian Open and move through to a big Quarter Final with Roger Federer...
One match to look out for in this section is the potential John Isner-Nicolas Mahut match in the Second Round... That will be the third meeting between the two at Wimbledon in consecutive years, all beginning with that famous 70-68 final set from 2010.
Prediction: I am hoping for a big run for David Nalbandian, but Roger Federer should be the Semi Finalist from this part of the draw.
Third Quarter
If anyone wants to talk about the most loaded section of the draw, be it in the Men's or the Women's event, they should start and end the conversation with this section.
David Ferrer, Andy Roddick (former Wimbledon Finalist), Juan Martin Del Potro, Marin Cilic (Queens Winner), Milos Raonic, Marcos Baghdatis and Andy Murray all reside in this section and there are dangers, and great matches, almost everywhere you turn.
Andy Murray has the pressure of a nation on his shoulders, and he has been given a cruel draw at the tournament starting with a match against Nikolay Davydenko- granted this is not the Russians favourite surface and he is not the player of a couple of years ago, but that is not an easy way to work your way into a draw.
Murray is also likely going to have to beat Ivo Karlovic, a player that can control a match behind his huge serve, Marcos Baghdatis or possibly Grigor Dimitrov in the Third Round and then the likely winner of the Cilic-Raonic match.
All of that just to get to a Quarter Final shows the depth of talent in this section of the draw and it is very difficult to see who is going to come out of it.
Before the draw was made, I was very much looking forward to seeing where Marin Cilic would land as he was playing some exceptional tennis at Queens, particularly on the returning side of the court and I think the Croatian may make a big breakthrough here.
The winner of the event at Queens has usually enjoyed some success when coming to Wimbledon and I think Cilic will ask some big big questions of Andy Murray.
I also don't think he will fear the challenge of playing Del Potro or David Ferrer on a grass court, while I don't think Andy Roddick is the same player that reached the Final here (and should have won in my opinion) back in 2009.
Prediction: This is the section where I think there will be a big shock and I really think Marin Cilic is playing well enough to come through a quarter with a number of dangerous players lurking.
Fourth Quarter
Rafael Nadal leads the way at the bottom of the draw as he looks to regain his World Number 1 spot by winning the tournament and overtaking Novak Djokovic in the Rankings.
With so many dangerous players already out of the way, it would be easy to think that Nadal should breeze through to the Semi Final, but that won't be the case. In the Third Round, he is likely going to face either Philipp Kohlschreiber, the player that beat him at Halle, or Tommy Haas, the veteran who won that tournament by beating Tomas Berdych, Kohlschreiber and Roger Federer on consecutive days.
Haas is a former World Number 2 and showed some real form in reaching the Third Round at the French Open and the grass courts have always been his favoured terrain. It was only in 2009 that he reached the Semi Final here having beaten Novak Djokovic along the way and he should not be under-estimated... Whether he can sustain the form required to beat Nadal over five sets is another matter, especially at 34 years old!
Even if Nadal is still around in the Fourth Round, it won't be much easier with Feliciano Lopez potentially in wait- Lopez is one of the Spaniards that very much prefers the faster surfaces to the clay and he could definitely push Nadal if he is serving well and mentally ready to win a match of that magnitude.
Regardless of the tough competitors in front of him, it would be a BIG surprise if Nadal did not make it through to the Quarter Final, but that is where the biggest and most capable player of beating him could be in store... Jo-Wilfried Tsonga!
Tsonga should have taken huge heart from his run at Roland Garros and has beaten Nadal on the grass before, albeit at Queens last season. He suffered a finger injury at Queens this year, but he hasn't broken it and I expect the Frenchman to be firing after reaching the Semi Final here last season while taking out Roger Federer.
If the finger is giving him any concerns, he won't be too impressed at seeing Lleyton Hewitt on the other side of the net- Hewitt is a tough competitor that has seen his better days go past, but one that is still capable on his day as he proved at the Australian Open in January when beating Andy Roddick, Milos Raonic and then pushing Novak Djokovic to four sets in a losing effort.
However, Rusty is not the same player with the amount of injuries he has suffered and a lack of matches is not going to help him- he might push Tsonga to four, but I would expect the Frenchman to get through as long as the finger he injured is healed.
Stanislas Wawrinka, Bernard Tomic and Mardy Fish are all dangerous opponents in this area for Tsonga to negotiate, but I would expect him to take care of all of them, while the most dangerous, Fish, is coming off a long lay off and may not make it far enough to take on Tsonga.
Prediction: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's performance at Roland Garros had me intrigued for how he can do here, but it is Rafael Nadal I expect that will get through to the Semi Final.
Winner
As I have indicated above, I think there are some real question marks around some of the favourites at this tournament. I would have been intrigued with Roger Federer, but I have said for some time that I don't think he is 100% healthy at the moment as he was making far too hard work of a simple draw at the French Open and lost in the Final at Halle.
In saying that, he couldn't have asked for a better draw and he has to be in any staking plan you have simply because of what has been put in front of him in this tournament.
Another player that you cannot ignore is Rafael Nadal- normally I would have run a mile considering he has the enigmatic Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his quarter of the draw, but I think there are enough doubts about Tsonga's total fitness that makes me think the Spaniard will be the beneficiary.
I also think he will take advantage of the fact that I don't believe Andy Murray will get through his section and whoever does will be tired for a Semi Final, of that I am very sure considering the route they are likely to have tread.
It is a little boring, but I will take both Nadal and Federer in my outright staking plan.
The final outright pick I will make is backing against Andy Murray and I am going to say that the British Number 1 is going to have a tough tournament that will see him exit at the Fourth Round stage- he will already have had three tough matches by that stage and will meet either Marin Cilic, Sam Querrey or Milos Raonic at that stage and the 5.00 on offer that he is beaten then looks a little high... Put it another way, apart from Sam Querrey, I would be surprised if Murray's opponent is higher than that come the day of the match so it looks worth taking an interest in.
In saying that, he couldn't have asked for a better draw and he has to be in any staking plan you have simply because of what has been put in front of him in this tournament.
Another player that you cannot ignore is Rafael Nadal- normally I would have run a mile considering he has the enigmatic Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his quarter of the draw, but I think there are enough doubts about Tsonga's total fitness that makes me think the Spaniard will be the beneficiary.
I also think he will take advantage of the fact that I don't believe Andy Murray will get through his section and whoever does will be tired for a Semi Final, of that I am very sure considering the route they are likely to have tread.
It is a little boring, but I will take both Nadal and Federer in my outright staking plan.
The final outright pick I will make is backing against Andy Murray and I am going to say that the British Number 1 is going to have a tough tournament that will see him exit at the Fourth Round stage- he will already have had three tough matches by that stage and will meet either Marin Cilic, Sam Querrey or Milos Raonic at that stage and the 5.00 on offer that he is beaten then looks a little high... Put it another way, apart from Sam Querrey, I would be surprised if Murray's opponent is higher than that come the day of the match so it looks worth taking an interest in.
Women's Event
First Quarter
This is going to be a controversial opening to my preview of the Women's event, but it is the draw headed up by Maria Sharapova and already I am beginning to get a little nauseous with the love the British media seems to have for her... Don't get me wrong, I think Sharapova is a brilliant player, that cannot be denied, but some of the writers make her out to be the Queen of SW19 and I can't help the fact that she is a tall, blonde girl that seems to have them salivating a little more than is appropriate.
For example, I saw a headline describing how Sharapova can replicate the 'fairytale' of when she won this event at 17... You see other articles trying to portray her winning her fourth Grand Slam title, albeit completing a career set, as being the ultimate in achievements.
Let's face some facts here- she is FAR behind the Williams sisters in terms of achievements, yet I don't think that fits too snugly into the middle class All-England club atmosphere... When was the last time Sharapova was shoved into the nothingness of Court 2 at the back of the Wimbledon grounds? Yet that seems to happen a lot to both Williams sisters who have won more titles here than the rest of the draw combined!! You make of that what you will...
Anyway, back to the tennis.. Maria Sharapova is the favourite to take the Wimbledon crown, but I will not be backing her as I did at the French Open as she has been given a really tough examination of her credentials and as early as the Second Round.
That is where she could face Tsvetana Pironkova, a former Semi Finalist and Quarter Finalist here and a player that clearly relishes the grass courts over any other surface. It won't get any easier with Sabine Lisicki also lying in wait as a seeded opponent for the Fourth Round and I just don't see Sharapova getting the 'easy' route she enjoyed at Roland Garros.
There is also a chance that she would have to face Kim Clijsters as a Quarter Final opponent, although the Belgian has a slight injury concern and faces a really tough First Round clash with Jelena Jankovic. If Clijsters can get through that, she will also have to beat Angelique Kerber, but whoever Sharapova faces is going to provide yet another tough test.
It looks a really tough quarter of the draw and, barring any quick exits to open up the draw as happened at the French Open, it is going to need a big effort from Sharapova to get through to the Semi Final from it.
Prediction: Maria Sharapova is the player in form, but there are plenty of tough tests in the section so don't be surprised if AN Other is playing in the Semi Final instead.
Second Quarter
Ironically, I think the player coming out of the first quarter is probably going to be thinking they will face an 'easier' opponent in the Semi Final than they would have played just to get through to that stage.
There are plenty of names in this section but I have plenty of question marks over all of them:
Agnieska Radwanska: Continues to flatter to deceive at the Grand Slam level.
Venus Williams: Performances are so up and down from one day to the next due to her illness that it is hard to imagine she can put it together for five matches to get to the Semi Final.
Daniela Hantuchova: Just back from a long injury lay off.
Na Li: Too many up and down performances since winning the French Open in 2011.
Samantha Stosur: Seemingly with all the tools to produce on a grass court, but regularly a disappointment on the surface.
These issues makes it tough to predict who will come out of this section with any certainty. We also have players like Nadia Petrova, who just won a tournament on the grass in Holland, that could cause a surprise or two, but I really think picking a Semi Finalist is a very difficult task here.
Prediction: Could be any of up to six players making it out of the section... Gun to my head, maybe Na Li can live up to expectation as she has produced positive results on the grass in the past.
Third Quarter
This is the section of the draw that I think the winner will come out and I would struggle to look too far away from the player that has dominated the grass courts and that is Serena Williams.
Granted, Williams was a surprise First Round loser at the French Open, but the clay courts have never been her favourite surface and she will feel a lot more comfortable coming back to the grass courts of SW19- I think her reaching the Fourth Round last season despite barely playing due to a serious illness says it all about her belief at this tournament.
Williams was also in fine form going into the French Open and her early exit could be a blessing in disguise as she has been able to rest the back complaint that forced her out of the tournament in Rome a couple of weeks before Roland Garros. The American also has the perfect draw to work her way into this tournament and I think she will have no real issues in getting to the Quarter Final.
That is where the first problem is likely to arise as Petra Kvitova, the defending Wimbledon Champion is likely to be lying in wait... However, Kvitova has struggled to reach the level she showed last Summer all season and I think the Czech player is there for the taking.
One potential player that could take advantage of Kvitova is Dominika Cibulkova, the player that beat Victoria Azarenka at Roland Garros last month. Cibulkova has also pushed Caroline Wozniacki in the past here at Wimbledon and has the belief and determination to cause Kvitova some issues. However, the 4-0 head to head on Kvitova's side suggests she is the most likely opponent to face Williams in the last eight.
Prediction: I am going to go with Serena Williams bouncing back in style from her First Round loss at the French Open
Fourth Quarter
This is the final quarter of the draw and features some players that would have been amongst the leading contenders for Grand Slams over the last 18 months.
Victoria Azarenka seems to be the most forgotten player on the Tour after a disappointing French Open, but I think she may just appreciate the return to this surface having reached the Semi Final at Wimbledon last season. She should get through the first three matches without too many issues, but that is when things will become a little tougher.
At the Fourth Round stage, Azarenka is likely to face either Ana Ivanovic or Julia Goerges and either player is potentially problematic. I would expect Azarenka to win through either, but that could be a little tougher than expected if she is not mentally in the correct place coming into the tournament.
The other half of this quarter has some big name players like Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marion Bartoli all involved, but there could be a surprise if Tamira Paszek can replicate the form that took her to the title in Eastbourne last week.
Paszek actually meets Wozniacki in the First Round, but there are so many potentially tough matches that you would feel that the player that makes it through this half is likely to come unstuck against Azarenka due to the energy expended.
Prediction: I think Victoria Azarenka can move through to a Semi Final for the second year in a row.
Winner
I am not going to say too much here except I really like Serena Williams' chances of making it through to another title here at Wimbledon- she was clearly the form player on the Tour ahead of the French Open and I am not going to read too much into her First Round upset as clay has never been her favourite surface.
It says a lot that Serena missed most of the year ahead of the tournament last year at Wimbledon and still managed to reach the Fourth Round- this time I expect Williams is in much better shape and will be ready to make waves.
Serena also has a fairly comfortable way to ease her way into the tournament and I really like her chances.
The Women's event has a number of players that may also make waves, but there are too many issues for me to consider anyone else for my outright picks so Serena Williams will be my only choice from this draw.
Outright Picks: Rafael Nadal @ 3.25 Ladbrokes (3 Units)
Roger Federer @ 6.00(1 Unit E/W)
Andy Murray to lose in Fourth Round @ 5.00 Stan James (1 Unit)
Serena Williams @ 4.00 Ladbrokes (3 Units)
Victoria Azarenka seems to be the most forgotten player on the Tour after a disappointing French Open, but I think she may just appreciate the return to this surface having reached the Semi Final at Wimbledon last season. She should get through the first three matches without too many issues, but that is when things will become a little tougher.
At the Fourth Round stage, Azarenka is likely to face either Ana Ivanovic or Julia Goerges and either player is potentially problematic. I would expect Azarenka to win through either, but that could be a little tougher than expected if she is not mentally in the correct place coming into the tournament.
The other half of this quarter has some big name players like Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marion Bartoli all involved, but there could be a surprise if Tamira Paszek can replicate the form that took her to the title in Eastbourne last week.
Paszek actually meets Wozniacki in the First Round, but there are so many potentially tough matches that you would feel that the player that makes it through this half is likely to come unstuck against Azarenka due to the energy expended.
Prediction: I think Victoria Azarenka can move through to a Semi Final for the second year in a row.
Winner
I am not going to say too much here except I really like Serena Williams' chances of making it through to another title here at Wimbledon- she was clearly the form player on the Tour ahead of the French Open and I am not going to read too much into her First Round upset as clay has never been her favourite surface.
It says a lot that Serena missed most of the year ahead of the tournament last year at Wimbledon and still managed to reach the Fourth Round- this time I expect Williams is in much better shape and will be ready to make waves.
Serena also has a fairly comfortable way to ease her way into the tournament and I really like her chances.
The Women's event has a number of players that may also make waves, but there are too many issues for me to consider anyone else for my outright picks so Serena Williams will be my only choice from this draw.
Outright Picks: Rafael Nadal @ 3.25 Ladbrokes (3 Units)
Roger Federer @ 6.00(1 Unit E/W)
Andy Murray to lose in Fourth Round @ 5.00 Stan James (1 Unit)
Serena Williams @ 4.00 Ladbrokes (3 Units)
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