2011 Wimbledon Draw Released
The Wimbledon draw has been released today and just as it was at the French Open, potential semifinals loom between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Nadal is the top seed and has potential clashes with Juan Martin Del Potro in the fourth round and possibly Mardy Fish or Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. It remains to be seen how well Del Potro can perform on the grass, especially given his third round loss at the AEGON Championships last week. Mardy Fish hasn't played a match since his third round loss at Roland Garros, so his preparedness for grasscourt tennis is questionable.
Then there's Tomas Berdych, who made it to the finals last year, but seemed a bit overwhelmed by the occasion, losing in straight sets to Rafa. He's a rather unpredictable player, so it remains to be seen how he will perform.
In Andy Murray's quarter, potential matches loom with Marin Cilic in the third round, Richard Gasquet or Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth, then possibly Gael Monfils or Andy Roddick in the quarters. That's a tough draw, but I suspect Murray will be able to claw his way through to the semifinals.
Roger Federer has a possible fourth round match with John Isner, whom against all odds has drawn Nicolas Mahut for his first round opponent. If you'll recall, Isner and Mahut set the record for the longest Wimbledon match in history last year, going to an incredible 70-68 in the fifth set. Isner can be a threat with his big serve and booming groundstrokes on the grass. If Federer clears that hurdle, he could face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or David Ferrer in the quarters. Those could be tough matches, but Federer should be able to prevail.
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