A tale of two draws

With the most celebrated tennis tournament of the year set to start at the All England Club in London today, there is a huge contrast between the state of the men's and women's draws. Wimbledon 2017 for the men is a throwback to the early days of the Big Four of men's tennis, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal being the overwhelming favourites and home favourite Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray bringing up the rear. 
Murray is ranked number 1 in the world, while Djokovic has slipped to fourth and as the pre-eminent players of the last two years they have a lot to prove in the middle of an underwhelming season so far. Federer and Nadal, meanwhile, have won the last Grand Slams that they have played. 
On the women's side however, with Serena Williams preparing for the birth of her first child and Maria Sharapova sidelined by a thigh injury, the race to be crowned Wimbledon champion is the most wide-open in a generation. In the absence of American great Williams and the headline-grabbing Sharapova, women's tennis has an undeniable lack of star power heading into Wimbledon. Into the breach may step in two-time winner Petra Kvitova or world number one Angelique Kerber. A surprise winner, more common in the women's tour, is certainly a possibility. 

RAFAEL NADAL

Although he is enjoying a renaissance at the moment, Wimbledon has always been bittersweet for Nadal.
The 31-year-old started the season in fantastic shape, a far cry from his injury-ridden struggles before, romping to the Australian Open final where he was denied in a five-set thriller by Roger Federer. In the clay-court season Nadal lived up to his moniker of King of Clay, winning the Monte-Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open and Madrid Open before the stretch culminated in his 10th title at Rolland Garros.
Wimbledon however, has been a different story. He was champion in 2008 and 2010, but a fourth round run in 2014 represents his best recent effort.
Nadal admitted that if he suffers a new problem with his knees, then his visit to London may again be short-lived.
"If I have pain in the knees, then I know from experience that it's almost impossible," said the 31-year-old. "If I am able to go through at the beginning, I think I'm with confidence."

ROGER FEDERER

Twelve months after shutting down his season in the wake of a devastating semifinal defeat, Roger Federer returns to Wimbledon as favourite to capture a record-breaking eighth title and become the tournament's oldest champion.
The evergreen Swiss, who turns 36 in August, is poised to break the tie for seven Wimbledon titles he shares with Pete Sampras and take his career tally at the majors to 19.
Federer, who captured a fifth Australian Open in January, will go into Wimbledon refreshed by skipping the claycourt season. However, he will not write off his three major rivals with whom he has shared all the Wimbledon titles since his maiden triumph in 2003.
“If Andy is anything close to 100 per cent physically, I consider him one of the big favourites to win. It's that simple. It's the same for Novak and the same for Rafa," said Federer who will start his Wimbledon campaign against Alexander Dolgopolov of Ukraine. “I think it's very even when we put it all out on the line. Everybody has their own little story right now."

ANDY MURRAY

Two-time Wimbledon winner and reigning champion Andy Murray insisted that he was fit enough to defend his crown after recent struggles with a hip injury.
That will be a big load off Murray's mind, who admitted that he was worried the pain would not recede in time for the event.
"I'll be fine to play the event and play seven matches," Murray said ahead of the tournament. "You never know. I haven't been in that sort of position too often, only a few days before a Slam and not felt good at all," he said. "Obviously this is an extremely important tournament, so you worry a little bit. It's a little bit stressful if you can't practise for a few days.
“I just tried to think positively. I tried to make the best decisions along with my team to give myself the best chance to feel good on Monday. I feel like I've done that.”
Murray, who revealed that he and wife Kim Sears were expecting their second child, will be level with Fred Perry as the three-time home winner if he can win this time around.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Djokovic, the three-time Wimbledon champion, warmed up for the premier grass court event by claiming a morale-boosting title triumph at Eastbourne on Saturday.

That was his first trophy since Doha in January, representing just how far he has fallen off since last season's dominance when he came to the All-England Club with all four Grand Slams under his belt.

However, he is confident that this is simply a rough patch, which is nearing its end.

"All the top players go through this. I have to get through it and learn the lessons and come back stronger," said the 30-year-old Serb who will also work with former Wimbledon semifinalist Mario Ancic who famously defeated Federer at the All England Club back in 2002.

The jury is still out on his decision to hire Andre Agassi as coach while his quarterfinal loss at Roland Garros to Dominic Thiem was his first in straight sets at the majors in four years, but this is the perfect platform to Djokovic to bounce back.

PETRA KVITOVA

If Petra Kvitova gets her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish for a third time, it would complete a fairytale comeback for the Czech following the horrific hand injury she sustained while being attacked by a knife-wielding burglar in her home in December.

Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014, was out of action for six months, but she returned at the French Open before winning the Birmingham title on grass last week.

The 27-year-old pulled out of Eastbourne due to an abdominal injury, but hopes to make a strong run at her favourite Grand Slam.

"I've been through a very difficult time in my life. Winning in Birmingham gives me some extra confidence that I am still able to fight," said Kvitova, who meets Johanna Larsson in the first round.

"We still do have great players in the draw, even (though) Serena is not playing.

“It's very open. So who knows who going to win."

ANGELIQUE KERBER

World number one Angelique Kerber has failed to live up to her seeding as yet, failing to win a single ATP title in 2017 and Wimbledon may not be the best venue for her to break her slump.
The 29-year-old has reached the final of the event just once, where she was defeated in straight sets by an imperious Serena Williams. 
However, the German believes that Serena's absence will give her the chance to make amends for last year's final misery.
“Of course it's different if Serena is not here. We will see. Everything is possible in two weeks," Kerber told reporters at Wimbledon on Saturday. "There are so many good players right now, so I will not put the pressure on my side.
To win the title, Kerber needs to improve dramatically after making unwanted history when her defeat against Ekaterina Makarova made her the first top-ranked woman in the Open era to fall in the opening round at Roland Garros.