wimbledon 2022
4
leading contenders – men NOVAK DJOKOVIC
RAFAEL NADAL
CASPER RUUD
Born in Serbia in 1987, Novak Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of four. After a steady ascent to the top levels of the sport, he won his first Grand Slam, the Australian Open in 2008, and then led the Serbian national team to its first Davis Cup win in 2010. In 2011, he won three of the four Grand Slams and compiled a 43-match winning streak en route to claiming the world number 1 ranking for the first time. Widely regarded as one the best men’s tennis players of all time, he is the only player to win all four majors, all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and the ATP Tour Finals in their career, with him winning each at least twice. His 2021 French Open win saw him become the first man in Open Era history to achieve a double Career Grand Slam. Currently world number 3, Djokovic is the defending Wimbledon champion and bidding for his seventh title.
Current world number 4, Rafael Nadal has endured a bittersweet relationship with Wimbledon. His two titles (in 2008 and 2010) have been accompanied by three lost finals as well as injury-enforced absences in 2004, 2009, 2016 and 2021. Although there remains a question mark over his durability for the two weeks at Wimbledon (having played the entire French Open with his troublesome left foot anaesthetised), the Spaniard is seeded at number 2 for this year’s Championships thanks to his wins at the opening two Grand Slams of the year in Melbourne and Paris. These victories took his Grand Slam tally to 22 – the most in history - and put him halfway to the first men’s calendar Grand Slam in more than half a century. He holds the record for the most French Open titles (14), is only one of four men in history to complete a double Career Grand Slam in singles, and is the only man to win multiple majors in three separate decades.
Born in Oslo, Norway, 23-year-old Casper Ruud created history in September 2021 by becoming the first Norwegian tennis player to break into the men’s top 10 in the world. He is currently ranked world number 5 - a career-best that makes him the highest-ranked Norwegian tennis player in history. He has won eight ATP Tour singles titles, seven of which were on clay. He is the first Norwegian man to win an ATP singles title (he currently has eight), to reach a Grand Slam final (2022 French Open), and make it into an ATP Masters 1000 final (2022 Miami). His best performance at a Grand Slam was reaching the final of this year’s French Open, where he lost to his idol Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. The Norwegian reached the third round at Roland Garros for three years in a row (2019 to 2021) and the third round at the US Open in 2020, before making the round of 16 at the Australian Open in 2021.
Seeding: 1
Age: 35 Birthplace: Belgrade, Serbia Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 1.88m Weight: 77kg Plays: Right-handed Turned pro: 2003 Career single titles: 87 Grand slam titles: 20 Career prize money: $156 541 453 Wimbledon Championships played: 16 Best singles performance: Champion (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Seeding: 2
Age: 36 Birthplace: Manacor, Mallorca, Spain Height: 1.85m Weight: 85kg Plays: Left-handed Turned pro: 2001 Career single titles: 92 Grand slam titles: 22 Career Prize Money: $130 681 472 Wimbledon Championships played: 14 Best singles performance: Champion (2008, 2010)
Seeding: 3
Age: 23 Birthplace: Oslo, Norway Residence: Oslo, Norway Height: 1.83m Weight: 77kg Plays: Right-handed Turned pro: 2015 Career single titles: 8 Grand slams titles: 0 Career prize money: $7 608 685 Wimbledon Championships played: 2 Best singles performances: 1st round (2019, 2021)
