Wimbledon is nearly done for another year and the finals are eagerly anticipated. As in Grand Slam tennis, not much can be predicted. The four players in the final are not who everybody could have banked on, bar possibly Roger Federer. So is this year the time for the underdog to take the crown?
Why Marin Cilic can win?
The World #6 has fought his way tooth and nail to make it his first Wimbledon final. A Brutal five sets victories over Giles Muller in the quarterfinal and in four over Sam Querrey in the semifinals have demonstrated the positive mindset the Croatian is in. With that comes confidence.
Cilic has seemed at ease on the grass this year, reaching the final of Queens before losing to Felicano Lopez. He has won one title this year in Istanbul, but has struggled at Grand Slams. The quarterfinal was a far as it got at Roland Garros, while the Australian Open was an even poorer performance, losing in round 64.
The 6’6″ Croatian may have lost in the quarterfinal last year at Wimbledon to Federer, but he took him to five sets and on another day, who knows? Yet the pressure situation of a Grand Slam final is different. Their last meeting before that was the 2014 US Open semifinal, as Cilic defeated in three sets. With that in his mind, I believe the-28 year-old has the belief and determination to topple the giant reputation that Federer has on grass.
Garbine Muguruza must have hope
The ladies final is a much similar affair in that a one-time Grand Slam champion faces off against a multiple-time winner. Muguruza is without the underdog against the vast experience of Venus Williams. To demonstrate that, the age gap is a 14-year one.
Williams has had a better year to dat,e losing only seven times compared to the Spaniard’s 13, but Muguruza will have hope with the outcome of their last meeting.
Their latest face-off was in Rome on the clay, with 2015 Wimbledon finalist coming out on top after three sets. This is a confidence boost for the 23 year-old, who will be up against the powerful hitting of Williams.
To further show the prospect of the challenge ahead, Williams has won seven Grand Slams, five of them on the grass of Wimbledon. Yet Muguruza has won a Grand Slam more recently and will have nothing to lose in a match that could define her career.
