Men's Singles -- Draw

[DBBN]

Juan Martin Del Potro ARG (5) v Arnaud Clement FRA
Lleyton Hewitt AUS v Robby Ginepri USA
Rajeev Ram USA (Q) v Philipp Petzschner GER
Mischa Zverev GER v Dmitry Tursunov RUS (25)

Radek Stepanek CZE (23) v Alejandro Falla COL (Q)
Potito Starace ITA v Jose Acasuso ARG
Fabio Fognini v Denis Istomin UZB
Kevin Kim USA v David Ferrer ESP (16)
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Nikolay Davydendo RUS (12) v Daniel Evans GBR (WC)
Victor Crivoi ROU v Bjorn Phau GER
Frederico Gil POR v Paul-Henri Mathieu FRA
Alex Bogdanovic GBR (WC) v Tomas Berdych CZE (20)

Jurgen Melzer AUT (26) v Wayne Odesnik USA
Benjamin Becker GER v Roko Karanusic CRO (Q)
Grigor Dimitrov BUL (WC) v Igor Kunitsyn RUS
Jeremy Chardy FRA v Andy Roddick USA (6)
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Andy Murray GBR (3) v Robert Kendrick USA
Riccardo Ghedin ITA (Q) v Ernests Gulbis LAT
Taylor Dent USA (Q) v Daniel Gimeno-Traver ESP
Brian Dabul ARG v Viktor Troicki SRB (30)

Stanislas Wawrinka SUI (19) v Eduardo Schwank ARG
Pablo Andujar ESP v Martin Vassallo Arguello ARG
Christophe Rochus BEL v Pablo Cuevas URU (LL)
Jesse Levine USA (Q) v Marat Safin RUS (14)
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Fernando Gonzalez CHI (10) v Teimuraz Gabashvili RUS
Oscar Hernandez ESP v Leonardo Mayer ARG
Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (WC) v Mikhail Youzhny RUS
Fabrice Santoro FRA v Nicolas Kiefer GER (33)

Victor Hanescu ROU (31) v Ivan Navarro ESP
Nicolas Devilder FRA v Nicolas Lapentti ECU
Thiago Alves BRA (LL) v Andrei Pavel ROU
Bobby Reynolds USA v Gilles Simon FRA (8)
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James Blake USA (17) v Andreas Seppi ITA
Adrian Mannarino FRA (Q) v Marc Gicquel FRA
Paul Capdeville CHI v Vincent Spadea USA
Evgeny Korolev RUS v Igor Andreev RUS (29)

Tommy Haas GER (24) v Alexander Peya AUT (Q)
Michael Llodra FRA v Joshua Goodall GBR (WC)
Sam Querrey USA v Ivan Ljubicic CRO
Alberto Martin ESP v Marin Cilic CRO (11)
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Tommy Robredo ESP (15) v Luka Gregorc SLO (Q)
Edouard Roger-Vasselin FRA (Q) v Stefan Koubek AUT
Dudi Sela ISR v Santiago Gonzalez MEX (Q)
Xavier Malisse BEL (Q) v Rainer Schuettler GER (18)

Mardy Fish USA (28) v Sergio Roitman ARG
Jan Hernych CZE v Janko Tipsarevic SRB
Simon Greul GER (Q) v Michael Yani USA (Q)
Julien Benneteau FRA v Novak Djokovic SRB (4)
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Fernando Verdasco ESP (7) v James Ward GBR (WC)
Nicolas Mahut FRA (WC) v Kristof Vliegen BEL
Diego Junqueira ARG v Guillermo Canas ARG (WC)
Grega Zemlja SLO (Q) v Albert Montanes ESP (32)

Ivo Karlovic CRO (22) v Lukas Lacko SVK (Q)
Steve Darcis BEL v Frank Dancevic CAN
Simone Bolelli ITA v Daniel Koellerer AUT
Andrey Golubev KAZ v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (9)
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Robin Soderling SWE (13) v Gilles Muller LUX
Marcel Granollers ESP v Andreas Beck GER
Nicolas Almagro ESP v Juan Monaco ARG
Karol Beck SVK (LL) v Feliciano Lopez ESP (21)

Philipp Kohlschreiber GER (27) v Florent Serra FRA
Ivo Minar CZE v Maximo Gonzalez ARG
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez ESP v Agustin Calleri ARG
Yen-Hsun Lu TPE v Roger Federer SUI (2)

[DBBN]

Nadal dies early.

[Traveling Man]

Jun 19, 2009 9:26:15 GMT -5 DBBN said:

Nadal dies early.

Murray FTW!

That is what I am most hoping for. It's all I have to look forward to these next 2 weeks - been waiting for Murray at Wimbledon since he won Miami. He's got the Queens title and the draw he'd have wanted. Now, if he can only avoid fucking up. We don't want a repeat of Melbourne.

[The Chloe]

Yeah... it should be a fun ride to the finals, at best. There, Murray dies a horrible death to Federer. Obviously.

[Traveling Man]

Jun 19, 2009 11:07:29 GMT -5 The Chloe said:

Yeah... it should be a fun ride to the finals, at best. There, Murray dies a horrible death to Federer. Obviously.

Ofcourse. But, it'll be a fun two weeks of Brit hysteria with Model Murray in his Fred Perry kit. I'll foolishly think he has a shot of winning and then slowly die on the inside as Fed wins 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 or something.

[lexpretend]

Ughhh I sense a deep run from Roddick.

Other than that, a great draw! Though not really that interesting. People will say "does Toad have a chance against Federer" and the answer is "maybe a set". And Tsonga will come through the Nando section and become a Wimbledon ~crowd favourite~ esp after the "golliwog" story is rehashed to death.

[Traveling Man]

Jon Wertheim Predictions

Top 16 seeds

1. Rafael Nadal: He's the defending champ and he's proved he can win on any surface. But with the knee trouble, the lack of prep work and any residual mental effects from Paris, you figure the pendulum has swung back to Roger Federer. Even assuming he plays, it doesn't look promising. His second-round opponent could be Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Nadal in an exhibition Thursday.

2. Roger Federer: After walking the desert for this first five months of 2009 and only coming up with mouthfuls of sand, Federer is suddenly the player to beat again. Apart from a gimpy rival, he has the benefit of a soft draw. Will we have back-to-back French Open/Wimbledon winners for back-to-back years? The guess here is yes.

3. Andy Murray: He'll win a Slam sometime soon. And his games translates just fine to grass, provided he returns aggressively. But in addition to the immense pressure, he'll need to confront Federer. That's a lot to ask.

4. Novak Djokovic: These are not flush times for Djokovic, LLC. After a fine spring, he crashed at the French and then lost to Tommy Haas in the Halle final. Plus, he underachieved at Wimbledon last year with a second-round loss to Marat Safin. He sure could use a deep Slam run, but we just don't see it.

5. Juan Martin del Potro: He'll win Slams one day -- but unlikely this one, and certainly not now. The grass skills just aren't there yet. He's lost in the second round in each of the last two years.

6. Andy Roddick: He's probably the next best pick after Federer and Murray. The big serve is obviously a weapon and so is the knowledge that's he won six rounds in the past. The cause for concern: the right foot injury he sustained in Queens. And a nasty early draw that has him facing Jeremy Chardy and then, likely, Grigor Dimitrov.

7. Fernando Verdasco: Like many in this new era, he can play on hard courts and on clay, but grass is a foreign surface. He faltered in the tune-ups. Fortunately, he drew a British wild card in the first round. Otherwise, the Iberia lounge at Heathrow might await.

8. Gilles Simon: Gets better every year at Wimbledon, but still lacks the heavy artillery to survive past the middle weekend.

9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Always an intriguing player. He can serve, he can volley, he can return, he can hit the heck out of the ball. If he can dictate play and avoid being made to hit on the run, he'll keep winning. Until he faces Federer in the quarterfinals.

10. Fernando Gonzalez: He's coming off a strong French Open, which usually means he's due for a crash. A nice draw could enable him to win a few rounds, but then it gets dicey.

11. Marin Cilic: Croats tend to well here and Cilic is no exception, having waltzed to the fourth round last year.

12. Nikolay Davydenko: Credit the guy for sticking around and returning nicely from injury. But he's 4-7 lifetime at Wimbledon and unlikely to improve much on that this year.

13. Robin Soderling: Lots of eyes are on him after his upset of Nadal and his run to French final. Can he sustain it on grass, a surface that complements his game quite well? Interesting first-rounder against Gilles Muller.

14. Marat Safin: A semifinalist last year, perhaps he has some magic left for this, his swan song. And the draw certainly breaks well for him.

15. Tommy Robredo: The usual Grand Slam dance. A few wins, a forgettable loss. Nice press conference. Move on.

16. David Ferrer: Might win a round or two but no more. Not a surface that rewards expert retrieving.

Seeds 17-32
17. James Blake: Half-Brit can start to salvage a forgettable season with a strong showing. Reaching the final at Queen's Club should be a source of inspiration. But the draw did him no favors: If he survives the frustrating Fabrice Santoro, Mikhail Youzhny awaits.

18. Rainer Schuettler: A semifinalist last year, Schuettler moves well and, like most Germans, has a knack for the greensward.

20. Tomas Berdych: Replacing Safin as the most erratic performer.

22. Ivo Karlovic: A bold prediction: He will serve at least a few aces and play at least one tiebreaker. If the Croatian Ace Machine is going to book an extended stay at a major, this is the one.

23. Radek Stepanek: A well-rounded veteran who knows how to win.

24. Tommy Haas: Backed up a strong showing in Paris by winning Halle tune-up.

25. Dmitry Tursunov/No. 29 Igor Andreev/unseeded Michael Youzhny: Erratic Russians have the requisite games and played well in tune-ups.

27. Philipp Kohlshreiber: Another key member of the German tennis renaissance.

Dark-horse nation
Sam Querrey: American plays Ivan Ljubicic (who injured his ankle Thursday) and then, likely, Marin Cilic.

Oliver Rochus: Our man has been standing tall in tune-ups.

Fabrice Santoro: Though his days are numbered, he's been playing well lately. Catch him while you can.

Grigor Dimitrov: The 18-year-old is "better than Federer at the same age," according to coach Peter Lundgren. Stay tuned.

Benjamin Becker: We're stockpiling Germans here.

First-round matches to watch
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Robby Ginepri: Winner could draw Nadal next.

Andy Roddick vs. Jeremy Chardy: Not exactly a cakewalk first-rounder for Roddick.

Sam Querrey vs. Ivan Ljubicic: What's 13 feet tall and might last five sets?

Rainer Schuettler vs. Xavier Malisse: Two former semifinalists.

Blue-plate upset special: Fabrice Santoro over James Blake.

Doubles winners
The Bryan brothers: They're due.

Semifinals
Roddick vs. Murray

Player outside the top 10 (Cilic?) vs. Federer

Finals
Murray vs. Federer

Champion
Federer

[lexpretend]

Oh, Rafa is out. IIRC...JMDP into his slot, JWT into JMDP's, Soderling into JWT's, Blake into Soderling's...etc? Or do they skip some of those steps?

[DBBN]

Yikes, it's official?

Hmmm...they might move Murray to the top, just for shits and giggles. Or...I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Hoping for Roddick they do in fact plop Pony up there.

[lexpretend]

From Pete Bodo's Twitter!

[GoDom]

Well that sucks.

Not that it matters, but does anyone know who's going to play the opening match now?

I believe they will move all those seeds around, since it's early.

[DBBN]

I would guess they'd put FEDERERGRANDSLAM3000 first on CC...or maybe Muzza.

[DBBN]

And I'm sure they will move seeds...the question is will they move Muzza -- or even Fed!! -- to the top just to keep it looking like a real draw, and not have, say, #5 Del Pony in Slot 1.

I bet they put Muzza there. GBR Fake #1!!!!1

[DBBN]

Also, Baghdatis has w/d and is replaced by Scotso (LL).

[DBBN]

Not to be confused with Snotso.

[leelee]

Jun 19, 2009 13:20:11 GMT -5 lexpretend said:

Oh, Rafa is out. IIRC...JMDP into his slot, JWT into JMDP's, Soderling into JWT's, Blake into Soderling's...etc? Or do they skip some of those steps?

With all previous WD's before OOP is released, Wimbledon has only moved the 33rd seed up. Which would be Kiefer.

[DBBN]

The common consensus on MTF is that they will move (5) Pony to (1) Rafa's spot, (17) Flake to Pony's spot, (new 33) Krud to Flake's spot, and LL to Krud's spot.

But I'm sticking with a wait-and-see attitude.

[lexpretend]

Hmm, according to Wertheim, they're just shoving a LL into Nadal's spot. No idea whether this is inside info or just not knowing of what he speaks, again, like predicting SexyDomi for the SF.

[GoDom]

From Wimbly website:

"Nadal's absence will cause a reshuffle in the men’s singles draw. Nadal's place will be taken by fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro. Del Potro's place will be taken by the 17th seed James Blake. Blake's place will be taken by Jose Arguso of Argentina and a lucky loser will fill Arguso's spot."

[GoDom]

Oh, they changed it. We hardly knew ye, Jose Arguso of Argentina.

[leelee]

The writer for the Wimbledon site must be Azza.

[GoDom]

So now we got Kiefer vs. Santoro. Oh god. Fabrice must not lose this, he cannot finish his Wimbledon career by losing to Kiefer.

[janie]

Poor Rafa! What a shame.

[DBBN]

Jun 19, 2009 13:56:59 GMT -5 DBBN said:

The common consensus on MTF is that they will move (5) Pony to (1) Rafa's spot, (17) Flake to Pony's spot, (new 33) Krud to Flake's spot, and LL to Krud's spot.

This is what happened, exactly. MTF 1, Wertheim -1380391.

The newest LL is Thiago Alves.

[DBBN]

Jun 19, 2009 14:38:21 GMT -5 GoDom said:

From Wimbly website:

"Nadal's absence will cause a reshuffle in the men’s singles draw. Nadal's place will be taken by fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro. Del Potro's place will be taken by the 17th seed James Blake. Blake's place will be taken by Jose Arguso of Argentina and a lucky loser will fill Arguso's spot."

Why...why don't the ten of us just overthrow the ITF? We'd never allow anything like this to be visible.

[Brinyi]

It wouldbe fun to see Gorila eliminate Mopey again, I think we can all agree on that.

[freudo]

Djokovic lucked out with the rearrangement, not much to bother the 'new yachtsman' there now. I'm not sure Nadal withdrawing is that good for anyone, since not feeling well, he was ripe for the picking, but I suppose delPotro won't be sudeenly great on grass. I wonder if Dmitrov is a grass natural? I do like him, already.

[The Chloe]

When you're OMGZ The Greatest Tournament Ever, you don't need to concern yourself with silly things like spelling or knowledge of who is actually playing. Pish posh, I say.

[Traveling Man]

Jun 20, 2009 9:22:47 GMT -5 Brinyi said:

It wouldbe fun to see Gorila eliminate Mopey again, I think we can all agree on that.

Heaven forbid! We must not even consider such an outcome.

Model Murray for the win!

[DBBN]

Jun 19, 2009 13:31:58 GMT -5 DBBN said:

I would guess they'd put FEDERERGRANDSLAM3000 first on CC...

Correct. Fed to open CC.

www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2009-06-20/200906201245507259546.html