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With just a few weeks until Wimbledon gets underway, tennis fans are finally heading back to Centre Court as a full crowd is expected for the first time since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event was completely cancelled in 2020 before a socially distanced and restricted crowd were on hand to watch Novak Djokovic win for the third tournament in a row after beating Italian Matteo Berrettini.
Indeed, the Serbian won three of the four Grand Slams last year but some mixed performances and concerns over his vaccine status meant he was unable to defend his Australian Open title whilst another member of the big three, Rafael Nadal, was on hand to win Roland Garros despite fears over his fitness. The ‘King of Clay’ picked up a few knocks in France and was playing on pain killers — now in a race against time to rehabilitate for London.
Wimbledon is the third Grand Slam of the year and while it’s still proving difficult to pick a clear favourite amongst the Wimbledon betting odds there is a plethora of young talent coming through the ranks that could cause genuine concern to the old guard in the tennis world.
Djokovic is just as capable on his day but with Daniil Medvedev still banned and Alexander Zverev out with an injury, it’s certainly looking like an more open affair, one that a wildcard could just as easily snatch up. Read on, as we look at three outsiders that could cause a shock at Wimbledon 2022.
Carlos Alcaraz
Not necessarily on this list for his lack of ability, but more for his lack of experience when it comes to winning Grand Slams, Carlos Alcaraz is only 19 years old but boasts talent that defies his tender age. The Spaniard took home the Madrid Open on home soil back in May, with a blend of carefully placed drop shots and powerful smashes that were clearly constructed well by the athletic teenager. If he is to win a maiden Grand Slam in London, becoming one of the youngest winners of the oldest tennis tournament, he’ll need to replicate the form he showed in the Spanish capital, something the tennis betting tips are predicting he is more than capable of.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Another in search of a first Grand Slam, Stefanos Tsitsipas frustrated many at Wimbledon last year with his lengthy toilet breaks and slow burning tactics, but if he is to embrace the role as pantomime villain, he has enough talent to justify his use of the dark arts. Early exits in the Halle Open and a Stuttgart Open loss to Andy Murray, who had some choice words on social media about the Greek last summer, have seen his form nosedive. But at just 23 years old there is plenty of time to turn things around, and a good turnout on Centre Court would do no harm.
Felix Auger Aliassime
Many would have expected to have seen Murray on this list, coming in as a 25/1 outsider ahead of the tournament he won twice in 2013 and 2016 respectfully. However, the Scot’s injury record makes him too unreliable to reach the latter stages of the competition at this point in his career, so we’ll go with Felix Auger Aliassime.
The Canadian, who is another up and comer at just 21 years old, reached a career high ranking of world number nine back in January, having beaten Murray as well as Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov already this year. Having finally captured an ATP title on his ninth attempt in Rotterdam, you sense a Grand Slam is almost inevitable for Auger Aliassime, but could it arrive earlier than expected at Wimbledon?
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