It’s that time once again. After last year’s Wimbledon Championships were cancelled due to COVID, this year’s Wimbledon is bound to mean a little more than usual. Living legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams are out to add one more major win to their legacies, while younger players like Daniil Medvedev, Ashleigh Barty, and Aryna Sabalenka are looking to establish themselves as the new crop of tennis heavyweights.
The 2021 Wimbledon Championships will run from June 28, 2021, to July 11, 2021. As always, this major will be held at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
MEN’S FAVORITE
Novak Djokovic
A victory for Novak Djokovic here would put him a three-way tie with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as the most successful players in the history of men’s tennis. Djokovic has won 19 majors, while Nadal and Federer have both won 20 majors. The next closest player is the legendary Pete Sampras with 14 majors.
Djokovic has a good chance to be the first man to win a single-year Grand Slam since Rod Laver did it in 1969. He was dominant in his win over Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open, and he erased a two-set deficit to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the French Open Finals. It will be tough to knock him off as he has won the last two Wimbledon titles and has five championships here.
WOMEN’S FAVORITE
Ashleigh Barty
The No. 1 seed in the women’s bracket must be respected although she has just one major win. Ashleigh Barty has never made it further than the fourth round of Wimbledon. The 2019 French Open champion has been one of the last eight at the last three Australian Opens though, and she has won 76% of her matches on grass over the course of her career.
Barty has been extremely successful since returning to tennis after a short flirtation with cricket. She has won 11 singles titles since 2017, and she has already won two hard court tournaments and one clay court tournament this year.
MEN’S CONTENDERS
Daniil Medvedev
We saw Daniil Medvedev beat Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-2 to win the Mallorca Championships this weekend. That was Medvedev’s 11th ATP Tour title and his first grass court victory. He is the No. 2 seed at Wimbledon this year, and he is seeking his first major championship. Medvedev made it to the finals of the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open only to lose to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but he knows that it’s only a matter of time before the old guard makes way for the young talent.
Roger Federer
It’s incredible that Roger Federer continues to play at an elite level. The eight-time Wimbledon champion is the most accomplished player in the history of the All-England Club, but he will turn 40 in August. Federer has not won a major since claiming the 2018 Australian Open. However, he played arguably the most epic Wimbledon final ever against Djokovic in 2019. The two behemoths went to the first tie break in the history of the finals, but Federer came up short.
WOMEN’S CONTENDERS
Serena Williams
Serena Williams has been stuck at 23 Grand Slam titles since 2016. She is one major short of tying Margaret Court’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, but she is running out of chances to draw level with her. Williams made it to the Wimbledon finals in 2018 and 2019 only to fall to Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep in straight sets, as the two-week grind of a major is starting to really wear on her at the age of 39.
Aryna Sabalenka
The No. 2 seed at this year’s Wimbledon is an unfamiliar name to casual tennis fans. Aryna Sabalenka has never made it past the fourth round of any major, but she is likely to contend for the title. Sabalenka has won five titles since February 2020, and she beat Barty for the Madrid Open title last month. Her record on grass is not good though, and she has yet to win an event on this surface.