Wimbledon Betting / Editor / 21 June 2007 /

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the outstanding tennis players of the decade, let alone the year, and it's almost impossible to expect them not to reach another Wimbledon final.

The basis of it all is that Federer is the best fast court player and Nadal is king on clay courts. So that is why Federer is chasing a fifth Wimbledon crown in a row, while Nadal has won the French Open three years running. There is simply no one else on grass or clay that is in anything like the same bracket.

Federer has had a change of habit this summer in that after finishing runner up to Nadal in Paris, he withdrew from the grass court tournament in Germany which he has been using for some years to make the transition of surface. He said he had to regroup after the French Open, which probably meant a mental as well as a physical rest. After all, prior to Paris, he had beaten Nadal on clay in Hamburg and would have hoped to come through and repeat the win at Roland Garros.

Nadal, in contrast, switched straight from clay to grass and was top seed in the Artois Championships in London. But he was caught on a rain hit day with a late match against the French player Nicolas Mahut who, because he was ranked higher than 100th in the world, did not appear to be a threat. He was though - he beat Nadal and offered proof of what can happen on a bad day when circumstances don't work out as expected.

Nadal took the defeat, went home to Spain for couple of days relaxation, and is back fresh and hungry for Wimbledon.

So if the top two are almost certain to reach the last four, who will join them in the semi-finals?

Third seed Andy Roddick, with a thundering 150 mph serve, is one who thinks he could change the balance at Wimbledon. He has been in two finals and was well beaten by Federer, but there are two factors in his favour this time.

The American (19 to claim the title) is back at a playing peak after a dismal few months on the tour. He won the Artois title and has former champion Jimmy Connors in his corner at Wimbledon as coach for the first time. Connors knows SW19 inside out and will be a huge help to Roddick.

Wimbledon officials have put Serbia's Novak Djokovic as fourth seed, which looks a good call considering the way the 20-year-old has been playing this year. Djokovic (trading at 38 to claim victory) made the last four in the French, losing to Nadal, and now needs to show he has the same perseverance and ability on grass - a surface where he has no great track record.

Another Serb who has to come into the equation is Ivan Ljubicic (280) and the same questions apply to him. But if the 28-year-old can get into a roll through the first week, he may well grow in confidence.

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez is another top ten star to watch. The Australian Open finalist (270) had a good Wimbledon in 2005, reaching the quarter final, is learning all the time and has the range of shots to present a challenge.

Other seeds to consider in the shake up are Czech ace Tomas Berdych (90), who won the tournament in Germany which Federer used to control, former champion Lleyton Hewitt (42), who knows his way around on grass, and American James Blake (290), who looks the best US challenger after Roddick. Don't discount the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis (120) from doing some damage to reputations, as he did last year.

Britain's top hope, Andy Murray, will leave a decision on whether to play as late as is reasonable. This is his first year as a top ten player and the Scot (60 to win the title) will be keen to shown that his new status is well merited. But whether his lack of recent match play counts against him remains to be seen, if he does decided he is fit enough to feature.

Russia's California-based Dmitry Tursunov (370) has shown some pre-Wimbledon form that means he should not be counted out as one who can reach the second week.

The big tall guys with massive serves like Ivo Karlovic (160), the tallest man in the field, and Max Mirnyi of Belarus also have to be watched. Young French players Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils (560) are certainly players for the future and might seize the chance to impress.

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