Goran Ivanisevic picks Rafael Nadal as favourite to win 2017 Wimbledon
Croatian tennis great Goran Ivanisevic reckons Rafael Nadal will enter this year's Wimbledon as the favourite, closely followed by Roger Federer, Marin Cilic and Andy Murray. Ivanisevic has ranked three-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic as the fifth favourite ahead of The Championships which get underway July 3.
Nadal has been in red-hot form in 2017. After pushing Federer to a five-set classic in the Australian Open final, Nadal breezed through Roland Garros without dropping set, becoming the first player in history to win the same Grand Slam on ten occasions. While odds makers have touted Federer and Murray as the two favourites, several former players, including Ivanisevic, are picking Nadal to prevail in Wimbledon.
Rafa just needs to get through first week, feels Ivanisevic
According to Ivanisevic, Nadal would be nearly unstoppable if he can get through the first week of the tournament. "Rafa is very mentally strong. At the moment, he’s the best player in the world. It depends on the draw. I would pick Nadal if he passes the first week. Could he be vulnerable in the first week? You never know," said Ivanisevic, via Metro.
In recent years, Nadal has had a forgettable run at the hallowed turf of the All-England Tennis Club. He suffered second, first, fourth and second round exits through 2012 to 2015. Last year, Nadal was forced to pull out of The Championships due to a persistent wrist injury. "You look at what happened the last couple of years, he had tough opponents who beat him before in Dustin Brown and Nick Kyrgios But he’s hitting the ball amazingly and it's going to be tough to beat him," added Ivanisevic.
Ivanisevic doesn't expect Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic to win
Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, has ranked Murray and Djokovic at fourth and fifth respectively in his list of favourites. "Murray plays very well on grass, but nobody talks about him. He’s got the game, it’s just an issue of mentally how he’s going to cope with the pressure. If he continues to play aggressively, the only way he can play, he can be very dangerous there.
"For the moment, he (Murray) is my fourth favourite. Murray’s lost confidence. He’s not hitting the ball well enough. I’m thinking about the form, the way they’re playing and how they can do. But who knows how it’s going to turn out?"
Ivanisevic, who beat Pat Rafter in the infamous 2001 Wimbledon final, doesn't have much faith in Djokovic, either. Earlier this year, Djokovic parted with his entire coaching team. In the middle of his worst season since 2010, the 12-time Grand Slam champion relinquished the World No. 1 ranking to Murray last November before enduring a shocking second-round defeat at the 2017 Australian Open to Denis Istomin.
"Let’s put (Novak) Djokovic as fifth favourite. He’s not playing anything like he was, so we have to see what kind of shape he’s going to be in," Ivanisevic said of the struggling Djokovic.
Meanwhile, Nadal took time off from the sport after capturing a record 10th French Open championship. He visited Ibiza for a holiday before returning home to Mallorca. A few days ago, Nadal posted an Instagram picture of him cruising around on a Gocycle G3, an electric bicycle. Nadal has also been training against local Spanish players on the grass courts in Mallorca, giving coach Carlos Moya enough reason to be optimistic.
Rafael Nadal last won at Wimbledon when beat Tomas Berdych in the 2010 final. In 2011, he lost to Djokovic in the final. Since then, the Spaniard hasn't been viewed as a threat to the likes of Murray, Djokovic and Federer. However, he is undoubtedly playing his best tennis since 2014.
