Dave Sammel: My Wimbledon predictions

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What a month of tennis. First, Roger Federer beating Rafa Nadal in Madrid, then Robin Soderling’s fourth round heroics in Paris. Throw in a first French Open title for Fed and then Andy Murray delivering a first British victory at Queen’s for gawd knows how long. Not to mention the threat of Rafa not even making the starting line up in SW19… Men’s tennis has been turned on its head. Time to call in the experts, we thought, so we fired up the tennishead email and rattled off a note to our coaching editor Dave Sammel. Here’s what’s going on inside the big man’s head with just seven days to go until the big one at Wimbledon…

tennishead: If Rafa misses Wimby, will it devalue the tournament?
Dave Sammel: No player has ever been or ever will be bigger than Wimbledon or the game of tennis. New stars are born from situations of opportunity and that is what keeps the game healthy and exciting. Wimbledon is the value and a big player missing is part of the drama and never devalues the title for whoever wins – after all, there’s no guarantee Nadal will make the final!

th: Do you think Federer can regain his title?
DS: Yes. After winning the French and with his confidence restored and at an all-time high he is clear favourite whether Nadal plays or not.

th: Does Murray have a chance to win or will there be too much pressure on the British No.1 – particularly after winning Queen’s?
DS: I think Murray may well regret the opportunity missed at the French. He was not aggressive enough, failing to use his formidable backhand return to pressure Fernando Gonzales with the early ball. Other players will have noticed this so Andy has more work to do to regain Locker Room Power to the level it was at the start of the French. However, I actually think winning Queen’s will really help him at Wimbledon. Having said that, Federer has the shackles of history removed and will be very difficult to stop. The pressure is huge on anyone who can win a Slam so the added pressure of his home Slam will be more than balanced by home support. He can do it and if he does by beating Roger or Rafa or both then he will be co-leader of the game going forward and, in my opinion, will go onto win more than one.

th: Which up-and-coming stars on the ATP World Tour do you think can be successful on the grass this year?
DS: Juan Martin Del Potro will be gaining confidence all the time so will be dangerous. It is a year too early for a second week appearance but Grigor Dimitrov, the winner of the juniors last year, may surprise someone in the first week. On grass it’s tough to pick a young player who can quickly take the unique pressure of Wimbledon without showing pedigree at Queen’s and at Eastbourne before the event, so if no young player makes a splash at Queen’s or Eastbourne it’s unlikely that he’ll emerge big time at Wimbledon.