5 Intense Questions that Wimbledon 2015 will Answer

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Jun 3, 2015; Paris, France; Rafael Nadal (ESP) waves goodbye to the crowd after his match against Novak Djokovic (SRB) on day 11 of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

5. Can Rafael Nadal regain his lost mojo?

The biggest question which the 2015 championships will answer is – What will happen to Rafa Nadal?

Rafael Nadal has not always been at ease on a grass court but managed to win his first grass-court title since 2010 by lifting the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart two weeks back. It was his 66th ATP Tour title & 4th title on grass, but just his second in a year where the former world No. 1 has dropped to 10th in the rankings. He won Wimbledon for the second time in 2010 and lost for the third time in a final there the subsequent year, but has not gone passed fourth round since.

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Bouncing back from his French Open disappointment, he also entered Queen’s but lost to unconventional Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the opening round.

Nadal’s fall from the pinnacle of the game has been at a ferocious pace. With just 2 titles and no Grand Slam finals to show-off this season, the Spaniard has looked more vulnerable and susceptible to embarrassing losses.

Apart from his physical struggles and injury-plagued career, his on-court form in 2015 has been the most horrifying. He lost half-dozen matches on his beloved clay this season and went 21-6 on the red dirt this year. Compare that with 292-14 record from 2005-2014, this yardstick comparison clearly illustrates that “RAFA is STRUGGLING in 2015”.

After being stripped of his French Open crown and losing only for the second time in 72 matches in Paris, Nadal’s ranking has plummeted to 10th in the ATP rankings, the first time his rank is a 2-digit number since 2005. Nadal is seeded 10th at this year’s event (his lowest grand slam seeding since Aus Open 2005 where he was unseeded; also his lowest seeding at Wimbledon since his grand slam debut back in 2003). He might have to beat all the other 3 members of the Big 4 brethren in order to lift the trophy come 12-July – A NIGHTMARISH DRAW for the Spaniard.

Nadal is undoubtedly at a crossroads in his professional career and is finally succumbing to the inevitable aging progression; an undisputed force which even the great RAFA will not conquer.

Yet people cannot write him off. The Mallorcan Matador is one of the fiercest competitors sport has ever seen. These defeats and painful losses will only fuel him to practice harder and prove all his detractors wrong.

A strong performance at Wimbledon may just be the perfect medicine to cure his recent infirmities and reignite his already historic career. It is time for VAMOS RAFA again??

DRAWMETER – (30) Fabio Fognini (4R), (3) Andy Murray, (2) Roger Federer / (6) Tomas Berdych (SF), (1) Novak Djokovic / (4) Stan Wawrinka (Finals)

PREDICTION – QUARTERFINALS (expect Murray to get the better of the Spaniard in the QF; at this point Rafa is struggling for form and it would be complicated for him to get past the Scot).

STATSMETER – Rafael Nadal (ESP)

Rafa is 33-11 this season (winning in Buenos Aires and Stuttgart). Nadal has won atleast one major for the last 10 years – Open-Era record. But he might fall short of Lendl and Sampras’ record of making a major final for 11 consecutive years.
Rafa is 57-16 (78%) on grass overall He is 39-8 (83%) at Wimbledon; champion in 2008 and 2010. Since losing the final to Djokovic 4 years ago, Nadal is 9-6 on grass failing to get past the 4R at Wimbledon.
Nadal and Mats Wilander are the only two male players in history who have won at least two Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces—hard court, grass, and clay.
He is also the only player in the history to win majors on clay, grass and hard in the same calendar year (2010).
He is also the only player apart from Bjorn Borg (1978-80) to win multiple Channel Slams (French-Wimbledon double). He achieved this in 2008 & 2010.

David Ferrer (8) just pulled out of Wimbledon 2015 due to an elbow injury. Lucky loser Luca Vanni of Italy, ranked No. 100 replaces him

Next: Lob and Smash 2015 Grand Slam Predictions

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