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Andy Roddick
Full power: Andy Roddick is a contender for the title

Five men to watch at Wimbledon

19 Jun 2009


Can Andy Murray finally win the big one or will it be Rafael Nadal's year again?

Andy Roddick(USA)
Age 26
Seeded 6
Grand slam titles 1
Best Wimbledon: Finalist 04, 05
Former world No1 with a blistering serve and powerful forehand. Doesn't have the versality of players ranked above him but enjoyed a relatively successful clay court campaign and is much more suited to grass.
ODDS 33/1
Verdict: should reach quarters

Rafael Nadal(Spain)
Age 23
Seeded 1
Grand slam titles 6
Best Wimbledon: Winner 08
Worked hard to modify his game to suit quicker surfaces and capped that improvement by claiming the title last year. But preparations have been interrupted by knee problems.
ODDS 7/2
Verdict: will struggle to defend title

Roger Federer(Switzerland)
Age 27
Seeded 2
Grand slam titles 14
Best Wimbledon: Winner 03, 04, 05, 06, 07
Reinvigorated by victory at the French Open earlier this month. Was only denied a sixth successive title at SW19 last year by Rafael Nadal in arguably the greatest final the Championships has seen.
ODDS evens
Verdict: probable winner

Andy Murray (Great Britain)
Age 22
Seeded 3
Grand slam titles 0
Best Wimbledon: Quarter-final 08
Won his fourth title of 2009 at Queen's Club last week. Says he prefers hard courts but is suited by conditions at SW19. Has beaten top two this year and has seemingly learned how to play the big points well. Great all-round game and his first serve certainly holds the key.
ODDS 3/1
Verdict: semis and then who knows?

Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Age 22
Seeded 4
Grand slam titles 1
Best Wimbledon: Semi-final 07
Has reached the final of five of his last seven tournaments, including on the grass at Halle last week. Suffered second-round defeat last year by
dangerous floater Marat Safin and has a point to prove after losing No3
ranking to Murray.
ODDS 10/1
Verdict: will do well to reach semis

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