So we are down to the last 8 in the men's draw, and just 3 victories from here will ensure a title at Wimbledon for one of them this year. In my post about the 4th round predictions, I got 7 out of the 8 winners correctly. Any guesses on which one I got wrong? Well, you would be lying if you saw this coming, but I did not think Nadal would be knocked out by the 34 year old Luxembourg veteran, Gilles Muller. Sure, I thought he might trouble Nadal for a set or two, but the latter's game was looking ominous throughout the tournament. Anyway, it was an epic, which I enjoyed watching as a tennis fan, and I hope Rafa continues to play awesome tennis for the rest of the year.
The quarter final line up has 3 of the big four still alive, and not surprisingly, only those 3 are former Wimbledon champions. Will they progress to the semi finals though? Let us look at the matches one by one, and see what can be expected out of each.
[1] ANDY MURRAY VS [24] SAM QUERREY
HEAD TO HEAD : 7-1
LAST MEETING : ANDY MURRAY 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 (AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2017, RD. OF 32)
Andy Murray has performed really well so far, but there have been visible chinks in the armour. He dropped a set to Fognini in the 3rd round, and had to battle back in the first set with a break down against Paire. Querrey might be seeded 23 places below the Scot, but he can rattle any opponent with his big serves. Ask Djokovic if you don't believe me. Anyway, I feel Murray is still the better player in this contest, and barring a complete breakdown in confidence or concentration, he should be able to weather the storm in 4 sets.
PREDICTION : ANDY MURRAY 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4)
[16] GILLES MULLER VS [7] MARIN CILIC
HEAD TO HEAD : 2-0
LAST MEETING : MARIN CILIC 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 (QUEEN'S 2017, SF)
17 years after turning pro, the world is suddenly taking notice of Muller, who is undoubtedly playing the best tennis of his career, vanquishing Nadal 15-13 in the final set in the 4th round. On the other hand is Cilic, who I had considered a serious contender to the title even before the tournament began, and still do so. He is in superlative form, as good as, if not better, than in his run to the US Open triumph back in 2014. Muller has a great serve, but I feel that it will fall short of Cilic's more complete all round game, most notably, his big serves and destructive groundstrokes. Cilic will probably take this in 3, but Muller might take a set off, so I will go with 4 on this one.
PREDICTION : MARIN CILIC 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-3
[6] MILOS RAONIC VS [3] ROGER FEDERER
HEAD TO HEAD : 3-9
LAST MEETING : MILOS RAONIC 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 (WIMBLEDON 2016, SF)
The biggest match in the quarters by far, is this semi final rematch from last year's edition, where Raonic upset Federer in 5 sets to make it to his maiden grand slam final. Federer is really good against big servers, as he is so good at disrupting their rhythm with chips and slices. But Raonic has been relatively successful against the Swiss, mainly because of his consistency in serve, and a much improved court movement and net play over the years. Federer is in beast mode this year though, and even the powerful Raonic game doesn't seem to be good enough on paper for the man vying for his 8th Wimbledon title this year. This one just might go the distance, but I pick Federer to win comfortably in 3 sets.
PREDICTION : ROGER FEDERER 6-3, 7-6(5), 7-5
[11] TOMAS BERDYCH VS [2] NOVAK DJOKOVIC
HEAD TO HEAD : 2-25
LAST MEETING : NOVAK DJOKOVIC 7-6(6), 6-4 (CANADIAN MASTERS 2016, QF)
With one of the most lopsided head to heads in the modern era, one would argue that a Berdych vs Djokovic clash is usually a foregone conclusion. Yes, Djokovic is not in the best form of his life, but he is yet to drop a set in Wimbledon this year. Does that mean Novak is back to his best? Maybe not just yet. But I feel he is close. Add to it the fact that Berdych is out of the top 10 this year, means even he is not in great form either. It won't be an annihilation, but Djokovic should come out victorious from this one quite comfortably. This match will also be a strong indicator of where Djokovic stands now, because Berdych is a tough opponent, even for Djokovic. If Novak beats him here comfortably, he might just get the confidence back and ride on it to lift the title. Before getting that far ahead though, I say Djokovic in 3.
PREDICTION : NOVAK DJOKOVIC 7-6(3), 6-4, 7-6(5)
According to my predictions then, the semi final line-up should look like this
[1] ANDY MURRAY VS [7] MARIN CILIC
[3] ROGER FEDERER VS [2] NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Let me know what you think of the predictions. I will post my predictions for the semi finals and the finals before match day. Stay tuned and have a great day!
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