How do the Top 10 men stand heading into Wimbledon 2018’s second week?
Jul 9 5 min read
1:50 pmTen seeded players and a qualifier have made it to Wimbledon's second week of which three have been former champions of the grass court slam. After a week of gruelling high paced tennis, the world's top 10 players have had their highs and lows in the tournament. Here is how they stand before getting into action yet again on 'Manic Monday.'
1) Rafael Nadal
World No.1 Rafael Nadal secured his numero uno spot after reaching the Round of 16 and thereby defending his last year's points. The Spaniard was ousted in five thrilling sets last year by Luxembourg's Gilles Muller. Nadal will face Jiri Vesely in the fourth round against whom the 11-time Roland Garros Champion had won in their lone meeting at Hamburg in 2015. A win against Vesely would mean that Nadal will make it to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time since 2011.
2) Roger Federer
Top seed Roger Federer is yet again into Wimbledon's second week for the 15th time. The eight-time Wimbledon champion is a heavy contender for the title. As the defending champion, Federer will now have to deal with the business end of the tournament. He will face Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round. Federer leads 5-0 against Mannarino and looks in good shape to make it to the last eight. A ninth Wimbledon title would mean Federer would hang on to his No.2 spot. If Nadal loses his next match against Vesely and if Federer goes on to win the tournament, the Swiss Maestro will be trailing the Spaniard by only 50 points.
3) Alexander Zverev
Sascha Zverev suffered a third round defeat against Ernests Gulbis in the third round in five sets. Gulbis won the final set 6-0, which ended Zverev's run at Wimbledon a round earlier than in 2017. Sascha's live ranking is not affected by his early loss but will surely be, if Juan Martin Del Potro digs deeper into the draw.
4) Juan Martin Del Potro
World No.4 Juan Martin Del Potro is into the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time since 2013. The Tower of Tandil fell to Gulbis last year in the second round. However, Delpo has been highly impressive this year, beating quality players like Benoit Paire and Feliciano Lopez in the first week. Currently fourth in the rankings, Delpo needs to reach the semi-finals to surpass Alexander Zverev and attain a career high of World No. 3. If Federer loses to Mannarino and if Del Potro manages to win his second grand slam here at Wimbledon, he can shoot to the No. 2 ranking.
5) Grigor Dimitrov
Despite a first round loss to Stan Wawrinka in four sets, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov has moved a spot up from World No. 6 to No. 5 in the live rankings. Dimitrov lost to Federer in straight sets in the fourth round last year but failed to defend his points this year. Dimitrov can drop back to the No. 6 in the rankings if Kevin Anderson reaches the final.
6) Marin Cilic
In one of the most shocking upsets at Wimbledon, 2018 Queen's Champion and last year's runner-up, Marin Cilic lost to Guido Pella after having a two-set lead over the Argentinean. Cilic lost 1155 big points after his second round exit from Wimbledon this year. The Croatian has thus dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the rankings.
7) Dominic Thiem
Thiem reached the Round of 16 last year at Wimbledon but had to retire mid-match in his first round match this year against Marcos Baghdatis. Thiem suffered from a back injury and hence was forced to pull out from his opener at SW19. The Austrian dropped 170 points after his early exit and is so far stagnant at the World No. 7 ranking.
8) Kevin Anderson
2017 US Open's runner-up, Kevin Anderson has managed to defend his 180 points from last year. Anderson has never managed to get past the fourth round at Wimbledon despite having a big serve and a suitable game for grass. In the fourth round, he will face Gael Monfils, against whom the South African has never won a match. Even if he wins, he is most likely to draw Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, who is yet another opponent against whom he hasn't recorded a win in four attempts. In a best case scenario, if Delpo loses his fourth round match and if Anderson creates a chain of upsets to win Wimbledon, he can leapfrog to the No. 4 spot in the rankings.
9) John Isner
For the first time in his career, Isner will witness the atmosphere of Wimbledon in its second week. The big serving American has already gained 135 points by reaching the fourth round this year compared to his second round appearance last year. Isner won his second round match against qualifier Ruben Bemelmans after being 0-2 down in the match. A straight sets victory against Radu Albot puts him against young Stefanos Tsitsipas on Manic Monday. Isner won their lone meeting at Shanghai last year in two tie-breakers. Big John can reach the No. 7 ranking with a semi-final, No. 6 with a final and No. 5 with the title provided Kevin Anderson loses to Gael Monfils.
10) David Goffin
David Goffin's opening round straight sets defeat to World No. 51 Matthew Ebden sees him to drop from No. 9 to No. 10 in the rankings. The Belgian did not participate last year at Wimbledon due to an ankle injury. Goffin will leave the Top 10 if Kei Nishikori, Adrian Mannarino, Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas win the title.