Wimbledon 2019
Wimbledon is arguably the most prestigious tennis tournament on the planet. There is something special about the grass courts, alluring celebrities from around the world and demanding the attention of the nation (including us at Bearhug).
The 2019 Wimbledon event will be the 133rd edition of the competition and it will be contested between the 1stand 14thJuly. The women’s defending champion is Angelique Kerber and the men’s defending champion is Novak Djokovic.
It is not unusual for the defending champion to come back and win at Wimbledon the following year. It has happened five times since the turn of the century but interestingly, no one outside the Williams sisters has successfully defended the ladies title.
In addition, fifteen of the last nineteen Wimbledon ladies singles finals have featured either Venus or Serena Williams, four of which they have played each other in the show-piece event. Serena will start the 2019 Wimbledon Championships as the favourite to win with the bookmakers but she has been struggling for both form and fitness.
The defending champion, Kerber, is also playing far from her best tennis right now, leaving the draw wide open. The victories of Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka in the French and Australian Open respectively this year show that anything can happen at Wimbledon.
Home favourite, Johanna Konta, will be hoping to take advantage of that but there are several players who will be believe they can also win. This could be one of the most exciting ladies singles events for many years.
Moving to the men’s singles and the defending champion, Djokovic, is the favourite with the bookmakers. The Serbian has won three and reached the semi-final in his last four Grand Slam events. Prior to winning Wimbledon for the fourth time in 2018, Djokovic had been inconsistent on the grass, going out in the third round in 2016 and quarter-final in 2017.
However, he appears to be back to full fitness in 2019 and hungry for even more success. Djokovic is rightly the favourite to win the men’s singles at Wimbledon this year.
Despite his advancing years and many onlookers saying he would be finished at the top level by 2019, Roger Federer continues to deliver and place himself in the mix at the top. The Swiss legend reached the semi-final at the French Open in June, although having missed three editions of the clay court season in succession. To reach the last four of a Grand Slam on his least favoured surface tells you everything you need to know about where Federer’s game is at right now.
He has the ability and fitness to make the final of Wimbledon again in 2019 and if he does, it would take a brave person to back against him winning for a ninth time.
Rafael Nadal may have something to say about it following his French Open victory. The last man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back was Nadal and the Spaniard will be feeling confident. His recent record is not great at Wimbledon but he reached the semi-final last year and is managing his schedule carefully to ensure he is in top shape come the start of the tournament.
