The sexiest Grand Slam of them all is on the docket for next week as Wimbledon will swing into action with Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova beginning defense of their precious titles from a year ago.
Djokovic nailed down his second championship in four years last season by beating seven-time titlist Roger Federer in the men's final, while Kvitova made it a deja vu situation, as she, like Djokovic, added to her 2011 Big W title with another championship when she whipped Canadian Genie Bouchard in the ladies' finale.
Djokovic will head to London as the men's favorite as he seeks Grand Slam title No. 9. The Serbian great is also the reigning Australian Open champ.
Unlike Djokovic on the men's side, Kvitova, who pulled out of a Wimbledon tune-up this week because of a viral illness, will not head into Wimbledon 2015 as the women's fave, as that tag has to go to world No. 1 superstar Serena Williams, who has won the last three major events and is halfway to a calendar year Grand Slam this season.
Djokovic was unable to prevail at the French Open a few weeks ago, but most, like myself, expect a rebound performance from the Serbian star on the hallowed lawns at Wimby.
Djokovic has appeared in three of the last four finals at the AEC, going 2-1, while the 20-time Grand Slam singles ace Serena is seeking her sixth title at the Big W and her first since 2012. The 33-year-old American legend is also a two-time runner-up at tennis' most-storied tournament, which was first staged in 1877.
Kvitova has played her best major tennis on grass, going a brilliant 26-5 at the AEC, where she's reached at least the quarterfinals five straight years, starting with a semifinal run there in 2010.
Obviously, Djokovic, Serena and Kvitova won't be the only stars on hand at the 2015 fortnight, as we'll also have to keep our eyes on the former world No. 1 Federer, British favorite Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal, as well as Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Ekaterina Makarova and Angelique Kerber ... just to name a few standouts.
The amazing Federer, of course, is the men's all-time Grand Slam king with 17 wins, including seven at Wimby, where he's also a two-time runner-up.
The swashbuckling Swiss is a stellar 73-9 lifetime at the AEC after suffering a tough five-set loss against Djokovic in last year's blockbuster finale.
The two-time major titlist Murray got British men off the schneid two years ago when he captured the Wimbledon title, after finishing as a runner-up there in 2012. When Murray ran the table two years ago, he became the first British male to title there in 77 years.
Murray was this year's Aussie runner-up to Djokovic -- the player the Scot most needs to solve if he wants to enjoy some more Grand Slam glory.
The Scottish native Murray was a grass-court titlist at the Queen's Club in London last week ... so he is ready to go.
Wawrinka has quietly captured two of the last six majors after stunning Djokovic in the French final earlier this month. The "Stanimal" captured his first-ever Slam title by shocking Nadal in last year's Aussie finale.
The "Other Swiss" Wawrinka is a force to be reckoned with for sure, but grass is not his preferred surface, as evidenced by only one trip into a Wimbledon quarterfinal. But that one trip occurred for him just last year.
The 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Nishikori and 2010 Wimbledon finalist Berdych also figure to be in the mix on the men's side, as will the great Nadal.
Rafa is a 14-time major champion, including a pair of Wimbledon titles, but the oft-injured star hasn't gone the distance at the AEC since 2010. At one point, Nadal reached five Wimbledon finals in as many trips to the big show, but a series of ailments has slowed his progress at Wimby and the Spanish bull has been a big upset victim there the last three years, including a first-round stunner two years ago and a second-round setback in 2012.
Nadal properly prepared for Wimbledon with a grass-court title in Stuttgart, Germany, two weeks ago.
The "Big Four" has combined to win the last 12 Wimbledon titles (Federer with seven, Nadal two, Djokovic two and Murray one), and all four guys have titled there within the last five years.
Note: I think it's time to call the Big Four the "Big Three & Andy Murray" because Murray has still managed only two Grand Slam titles.
Weird Note: From 1878 to 1921, the holder of the Gentlemen's Singles title did not compete until the Challenge Round, when he met the winner of the All Comers' Singles to decide The Championship. When the holder did not defend his title, the winner of the All Comers' Singles automatically became champion.
Over on the ladies' side, the French Open runner-up Halep will look to go at least one step further at Wimbledon, where she reached the semifinals for the first time last year.
The former No. 1 star and 2015 Aussie runner-up Sharapova, of course, is a former Wimbledon champ (2004) and runner-up (2011). And with five Grand Slam wins and a career Grand Slam, Maria is always a threat ... anywhere.
The former top-ranked star Wozniacki is a two-time U.S. Open runner-up, but she has never fared very well on grass. She has yet to reach a Wimbledon quarterfinal in eight trips there. Wow.
Makarova and Kerber join Kvitova as the top left-handers in the women's game. The Russian Makarova has been a Grand Slam quarterfinal machine over the last couple years, including a trek into the round of eight at Wimbledon last year, and she's reached the semifinals in two of the last three majors.
Kerber is fresh off her grass court title in Birmingham, England, and has reached at least the quarters in two of her last three trips to the AEC, including a final four berth in 2012.
Some other men who could figure into the equation could be Canadian masher Milos Raonic, sweet-swingin' Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and flamboyant Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the former Aussie Open runner-up.
Other women to consider at SW19 could be French Open runner-up Lucie Safarova, big-hitting Czech Karolina Pliskova and big-serving German Sabine Lisicki, the former Wimbledon runner-up who set a WTA record with a colossal 27 aces in one match last week in Birmingham. Lisicki has reached at least the quarters in her last five trips to Wimbledon, including a trip into the final two years ago and a semifinal berth back in 2011.
I will now make my last-ever Wimbledon predictions for The Sports Network. My swan song picks to win it all have to be Djokovic (shocking) and Serena (equally as shocking). I'm sorry, but that's what the (predictable) crystal ball has revealed.
Happy tennis, everyone! I'll see ya on down the road.
[SportsNetwork.com]
