The Players To Keep An Eye On At Wimbledon 2015

Wimbledon 2015 – Five Players To Watch

Wimbledon 2015 starts tomorrow and the usual suspects are the favorites to claim the title for both the men and women.

The “Big Four” of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal are the ones touted to lift the trophy, while Serena Williams is the standout contender to win the women’s final.

However, there are players in the draw who receive less air time than the aforementioned contenders, but will be considered as major threats by some of the biggest names in the sport.

Here are my tips for the five players to keep an eye on over the course of the next fortnight.

Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic is only a teenager, but she is already causing waves in the women’s game.

This is not without justification, as the Swiss recently won her first title on the WTA Tour, defeating Agnieszka Radwanska in the Eastbourne final, with a bagel being served up in the deciding set.

Impressive stuff indeed, and a performance like that had been coming as well, as the Swiss had reached the final of the Topshelf Open in the Netherlands, losing the grass court showpiece to Camila Giorgi after a hugely encouraging tournament.

She may be new to the scene, but Bencic is coming into SW19 with form and confidence aplenty.

Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios defeated Rafael Nadal in this competition last year to announce his arrival in the highest echelons of the game to the tennis fraternity.

The Aussie displayed an impressive lack of nerves to take the 14-time Grand Slam champion down in four sets on his way to the last eight, and the expectations will be raised for this year’s edition.

The youngster is considered one of the hottest properties in the game at the moment, and given that grass is his favourite surface, the big serving pretender could be set for a huge fortnight in London.

Lucie Safarova

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A lot of tennis fans have known about the potential of Lucie Safarova for quite a while.

However, it is only in the last 10 months or so that the Czech has started to fulfill it. A semi-final appearance in the US Open in 2014 was followed by a magical run to the final of Roland Garros earlier this month, where she was narrowly edged out by Serena Williams.

With her huge leftie serve and dangerous forehand, grass is a surface that should suit Safarova nicely, and with her game looking as good as it ever has, the 28-year-old will be a threat to anyone she faces at the All England Club.

Thanasi Kokkinakis

Another young gun from Australia, it has taken Thanasi Kokkinakis slightly longer to get tongues wagging than his compatriot Kyrgios, but his presence is being felt at the top of the men’s game now.

He is a year younger than Kyrgios, but seems to have more of a stable mindset and complete game, despite not possessing the weapons his countryman does.

The 19-year-old was defeated in straight sets by Novak Djokovic in the French Open, but it was noticeable how well he handled himself on the big stage and how comfortable he looked in such esteemed company.

He now has more experience, more knowledge and more hunger coming into this year’s Wimbledon – a dangerous mix.

Sabine Lisicki

A Grand Slam contender? Not ordinarily, but Wimbledon always seems to bring out the absolute best in Sabine Lisicki.

For two weeks of the year at SW19, the German combines her massive serve and powerful forehand to wonderful effect to make an assault on the Wimbledon title.

She has caused many a shock over the years and even reached the final in London two years ago, where she eventually succumbed to Marion Bartoli.

That experience will only serve to help her as she progresses further into the tournament, where the big guns will likely lie in wait.

She may not be one of the favourites to lift the trophy in two weeks’ time, but recent history tells us she should not be overlooked.

Next: Wimbledon 2015 - Can Anyone Stop Serena Williams?

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