Chasing the prize
The much heralded “Big Four” have dominated the Roll of Honour at the All England Club ever since Roger Federer’s maiden triumph in 2003.
Who can deny the 20-time Grand Slam champion a ninth Wimbledon?
Rafael Nadal arrives off the back of a gruelling, but trophy-laden, clay court campaign, while Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are steadily returning to their exemplary match sharpness.
Vying to steal Federer’s crown are a group of players who might not appear in the plethora of previews on favourites for the Championships but have the game to launch a title tilt at SW19.
The American is scribed into the Wimbledon history books after his record-breaking 11-hour epic with Nicolas Mahut in 2010. However, despite towering at 6ft 10ins (2.08m), Isner has never managed to utilise his monster serve to advance to the second week at SW19 and only has three third round appearances.
But the world No.10 is a different proposition this season, illustrated by a first Masters 1000 in Miami in March. An impressive haul of results included wins against Marin Cilic, Hyeon Chung and Juan Martin del Potro, before prevailing against Alexander Zverev in the final.
He mastered Miami on hard court, but over to the luscious lawns at SW19, Isner will be fuelled for a deep run with the belief he can compete with, and more importantly beat, top title contenders.
BORNA CORIC
The 21-year-old only had two career grass court victories to his name before going all the way in Halle. He soared into the final without dropping a set, hailing the "most unbelievable week of my whole life".
Croatian Coric then denied Federer a 10th Halle trophy 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2. It was a performance pulsing with persistence, as he out-gunned Federer in a series of absorbing all court rallies. His previous problems on grass have been erased. Surely ousting the Wimbledon champion will ignite a burgeoning belief at the All England Club.
Wielding his wicked serve, unpredictable shot choices and rocketing raw power, Nick Kyrgios is a name no player will want to draw at Wimbledon. The gregarious Australian has conjured up captivating performances in south west London ever since shooting to prominence in 2014 with a blockbuster victory over Nadal.
His recent grass court results have boosted his chances at SW19, reaching the semi-finals in Stuttgart, eventually falling to Federer in another fascinating 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-7(5) duel. At Queen’s Club, the fearless 23-year-old posted wins over Murray, Kyle Edmund and Feliciano Lopez.
He appears to be in decent physical condition, oozing his usual swagger and confidence. Can Kyrgios keep this momentum going in the cauldron of Grand Slam competition?
SAM QUERREY
Rewind a year and Sam Querrey demonstrated his grass court prowess at Wimbledon. Three successive five-set thrillers witnessed the world No.13 topple Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kevin Anderson and Murray en route to the semi-finals.
Rather like Isner, Querrey is frequently labelled as 'just a serve', but the 2010 Queen’s champion has an accomplished net game and is neat off both groundstroke wings. In full flight the 30-year-old is an imposing opponent on the grass, and in the past two trips to Wimbledon has knocked out the defending champion.
Only a destructive showing from Murray in the Wimbledon 2016 final denied Milos Raonic a first Grand Slam title. His height and frame are deceptive as the Canadian is a swift mover across the lawns and he complements his booming serve with astute volleys and crushing strokes.
The world No.32 has rebounded from a tough start in 2018. His stint on the grass in Stuttgart jolted memories of his grass court threat. Tomas Berdych and Lucas Pouille were dispatched, only for Federer to clinch the crown in a finely poised final. Fully fit, Raonic is a name to consider on any surface.