The world’s most prestigious tennis tournament is upon us once again and it’s time to dig in and predict the winners and losers for the Wimbledon Grand Slam in 2018. This is the one event that every tennis player wants to win. When you hear Wimbledon, people think of the big names like Borg, Becker, McEnroe, Sampras and now Federer who’ve owned those green courts for years.
Wimbledon in 2018 will showcase the battle between the veterans like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic against the so called next generation of Zverev, Raonic and Kyrgios. However, over the last six Grand Slams, the next generation have been shut down with the veterans Federer and Nadal winning them all.
This article has been written before the Wimbledon draw takes place, which could affect players routes to the final, especially if they are on Federer’s side of the draw. I will talk about the favourite, the 3 main challengers, a few dark horses and 1 big longshot.
2018 Wimbledon Preview and Odds
The Favorite – Roger Federer
The odds-on favourite on almost every betting site, he sits at +150 on Bovada. Roger is the current defending champion. At last year’s tournament, he won his eighth title putting him at the top of the list for most Wimbledon titles surpassing the great Pete Sampras. He has been playing well this year already winning the Australian Open. Roger also took the recent clay court season off to be ready for this tournament while reaching the final in his usual warm-up tournament in Halle last week. Federer should win Grand Slam title number 21. This is Roger’s tournament to lose in my opinion.
Top 3 Bets to Win Wimbledon
So can anyone beat Roger this year? While I’m sticking to my prediction that Roger wins it all again in 2018, for value these are my top 3 alternative outright winner bets.
Rafael Nadal – The man who has shared the last six grand slam titles with Federer. Rafael is currently in good form having just won is eleventh French Open title. Grass is not Nadal’s best surface, but he has won two Wimbledon titles. Rafael is once again battling injuries going into this year’s tournament which could affect his performance but playing while fighting off injuries is something that Nadal is experienced at. For a second favourite, Nadal is returning a good return at +500 on Bovada. Excluding Federer, it is hard to bet against this man.
Marin Cilic – He has been playing very well of late and the only man looking to break the current Federer/Nadal trend. He has been runner up to Federer in last year’s Wimbledon and this year’s Australian Open. Marin is no stranger to winning titles and he also holds a Grand Slam win at the US Open in 2014. His good form seems to be leading up to Wimbledon success, with a win in the final of grass tournament, London ATP. One of the stronger grass players on the ATP, Cilic could be the best bet at +1200 on Bovada to win Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic – Before his injury, Novak was the man breaking the Nadal/Federer dominance. He has twelve Grand Slams title with three coming from success at Wimbledon. He seems to be coming back to form, showing this with his appearance in the final at the London ATP just last week. If Novak continues to recover from his injuries and returns to his 2016 form, he could be the man the who breaks the Federer/Nadal streak. Djokovic is listed as the third favourite at +650 on Bovada, however it may be too soon for him.
The Dark Horse Wimbledon Bets
Alexander Zverev – The newest next generation star to lead the charge to take the mantle from Federer/Nadal. Winning his third Master1000 title earlier this year, Zverev is now currently ranked number three in the world and is playing very well. His style of play is more of a baseliner, which is not always the best style for Wimbledon. Zverev will need to improve his net game to trouble the big names at this year’s tournament but his raw talent and enthusiasm could just take him over the line and win the title. Many punters think that he is a contender and that is maybe why Bovada currently has him at the fourth favourite at +800.
Nick Kyrgios – One of the most talented up and coming players on the ATP. However, his temperament and his poor levels of concentration have been holding him back for contending with the elite players on the big stage. Nick has shown that he can win a title and he has the talent to do so. Is style suits Wimbledon and his serve is second to none. If Kyrgios can keep his mental game together, at +1600 (on Bovada) he would be a good outside bet to win Wimbledon.
Andy Murray – A strange name to be in the list of outsiders to win Wimbledon. However, like Djokovic, since his injury, Andy has not been the same player. Murray does have two Wimbledon titles to his name and loves to play on grass. He is currently ranked as the fifth favourite on Bovada at +900, however I feel that he is only at short odds because punters want him to win. Wimbledon is Murray’s home Grand Slam and with a boisterous crowd behind him, this title is not out of his reach for him.
Longshot To Win Wimbledon in 2018
Dominic Thiem
Considered a longshot to win Wimbledon, but his form should suggest that he is a contender. This year he has a 35-9 record, has already won two titles and reached the French Open final losing to Nadal. Thiem is currently in form and can beat any player on the tour. Bovada has him at +2500 which is a great price for a longshot bet who actually has a chance to win.