There are seven American in the 2015 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles draw. Each player has something to prove before the American hard court swing.
John Isner: Isner is again the top American in a Grand Slam draw. It is hard to believe Isner’s All-England Club duel with Nicolas Mahut was five years ago. After his long battle over Mahut people thought that Isner would find great success on grass however last year’s third round was his best result.
He will face Go Soeda in what looks on paper to be a winnable first round. In the second round he will face either Matthew Ebden or Blaz Rola before setting up a possible third round match against defending US Open Champion Marin Cilic.
Isner got a favorable draw and has the potential to make it to the third or fourth round. The key for Isner is his footwork. The big man needs to feel comfortable moving on the grass. If he doesn’t and his serve is off it is going to be a rough day for him at the office.
Isner hasn’t made a quarterfinal since Madrid so if he could make a run at Wimbledon it would set him up nicely for the American hard court swing where he plays some of his best tennis.
Jack Sock: Sock had a great run to the Round of 16 at Roland Garros and a win in Houston. In both tournaments he took out two top 20 opponents. He has cemented himself as a true threat this year on tour.
He is the #31 seed in the tournament and will take on Aussie big man Sam Groth in the first round. If Sock is able to beat Groth he has a good chance to set up a third round match against Roger Federer. If Sock plays inspired like he has so far this year he could very well set up a meeting with one of the greatest grass players ever. Sock is also the defending champion here in doubles (with partnet Vasek Pospisil), something that should give him extra confidence at SW19.
The biggest concern for Sock is whether he run around his backhand to hit his forehand on the slippery grass. Sock has played at the All-England Club twice and so far he has not been able to make it past the second round. He made it to the semifinals of Newport last year, beating Isner in the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see if he can channel that experience to create some momentum especially since he did not play any grass warm up events.
Sam Querrey: Querrey is coming off of a finals appearance of the Aegon Nottingham Open. He has not had success outside of ATP 250 tournaments. He has not made it to the second round of a Grand Slam this year.
Querrey’s best Wimbledon came back in 2010 when he made it all the way to the round of 16 where he lost in straight sets to Andy Murray. It is important to note that during that run he didn’t face any players in the top 40.
Querrey takes on Igor Sijsling in the first round who is a solid competitor. If Querrey is tired, doesn’t bring his A game and a strong mental approach it could be another early Grand Slam exit. If he is able to take out Sijsling he would likely face Federer in the second round. Querrey is his own worst enemy and if he can’t get his game together soon, he could be looking at another stint on the Challenger level.
Donald Young: Donald Young has not made it to the second round of a ATP main draw since March where he made it to the third round of Indian Wells and the second round of Miami. Young, like Querrey and Ryan Harrison, struggles with his mental toughness. He has shown what he is capable of but has never been able to sustain that level.
Young has never made it past the second round of Wimbledon. He takes on wily veteran Marcos Baghdatis in the first round of this year’s Wimbledon. Baghdatis made it to the semifinals of Nottingham before having to retire due to a calf injury. The only way Young can get past Baghdatis, who has looked strong on grass, is if the Cypriot still isn’t 100 percent. If Young is able to escape the first round he would probably see the No. 19 seed Tommy Robredo.
Steve Johnson: Johnson has not had the 2015 he had hoped for after reaching a career high of No. 37 last November. He made it to the third round of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the French Open.
Johnson has yet to beat a top 20 opponent this year. The highest ranked player he has beaten was Bernard Tomic in Halle who was ranked No. 24. However, after beating Tomic he fell in straights to Mayer in a lackluster performance. Halle was Johnson’s only warm up tournament before Wimbledon.
The former collegiate player will take on Lukas Lacko in the first round, who Johnson should be able to beat. If Johnson does win his first round, he would likely take on Grigor Dimitrov in the second round.
Beside Sock, Johnson has shown the most upside for the Americans. Getting past the first round or two would go a long way to helping his confidence, something that Johnson has seemed to struggle with since turning pro.
Tim Smyczek: Smyczek has steadily moved up the rankings the past few years. This is his first time ever being in the main draw of Wimbledon. He had previously made it to the last round of qualifying twice. He made the semifinals as a junior at Wimbledon.
Smyczek will take on the hot-tempered Italian Fabio Fognini in the first round. Fognini definitely has the advantage with his experience. Nonetheless, if Fognini loses his head and Smyczek is able to keep the ship steady he has a chance at the upset. The Wisconsin native has nothing really to prove at the All-England Club but could gain a lot if he is able to pull an upset.
Denis Kudla: Despite being ranked No 105 in the world Kudla has made it to the second round of Wimbledon the last two years. He lost in the first round of qualifying of the French Open but has bounced back nicely winning one Challenger event on grass and making it to the finals of another. Oddly enough, he faced Australian’s Matthew Ebden in both finals.
Kudla drew the #28 seed Pablo Cuevas. Kudla goes in as a big underdog but he has a lot of momentum going in with his success as the Challenger level. Like Smyczek, Kudla has very little to lose at this stage and the experience is good for the 22 year old.
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