With the clay court season over, Wimbledon is only weeks away and picking out a men’s champion seems more clouded than ever.

The usual top 4 has now become 5 with Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka overtaking his fellow countryman Roger Federer in the rankings, after the 35 year old choose to not enter the French Open.

This years Wimbledon Championships seems to be anybody’s games with no clear potential champion steering through the season and the Grand Slams so far without facing hurdles.

As a avid tennis fan I will analyse the chance of each of the Top 5 and potential outsiders to take the 2017 Wimbledon crown.

Andy Murray

The current World No 1 may have won Wimbledon last year, but seems to face his biggest challenge yet to retain the trophy. Murray has played an inconsistent season so far with injuries irritating his form with 7 loses, most notably a Round 16 loss to world number 59 at the time Borna Coric in Madrid followed by a defeat Fabio Fognini in straight sets in the Rome Masters.

The three time Grand Slam champion seemed back to his best in the French Open before facing a in form and resilient Stan Wawrinka, crashing out in five sets. However the signs were encouraging that the Brit was confident getting into the late stages of a Grand Slam again of failing to reach the last four in the Australian Open.

Murray will undoubtedly pull out his best in front of a home crowd and is something that will bring out his best efforts. With a good Queens outing in the locker, which he has won five times, then the two time Wimbledon winners has every chance of getting his hands on the trophy for a third time.

However, this year I feel Murray has not been at his best and that may continue with the rise of Rafael Nadal again and Federer a looming shadow over every competor on a grass court.

Roger Federer

The Swiss is another top 5 player to have had a strange year, entering only four tournaments. He has been blighted with niggling injuries in the last few years and this year has been no different, sacrificing the French Open in order to give Wimbledon a good go.

The 35 year old has only lost once this year, showing despite being the oldest in the top 5 he is still able to reach the highest standards and demonstrate that his fitness levels have not faltered; beating Nadal in five sets in the final of the Australian Open, winning his first Grand slam in five years.

The seven time Wimbledon champion is without doubt at his most comfortable on grass and comes into the tournament a sure bet for the semi finals. However, with age comes the conditioning and fitness levels to last a brutal slogging that five sets with the best in world brings.

Fan favourite Federer surely does not have many more chances to claim his 19th Grand slam and as long as the fight is still there in him then he could well go all the way.

Rafael Nadal

The 31 year old is back to his best with an emphatic display at the French Open winning his tenth Grand slam on the clay and rightfully claiming his ‘King of Clay’ position in tennis. Failing to lose a single set on his way to the trophy shows that when injury free Nadal is back in business.

However, the left handers form on clay and grass are very much in contrast in recent years. He has not passed the fourth round of Wimbledon since 2011 and has been twice knocked out in the second round in the last five years. Suggesting there is no doubt that his weakest surface is that of grass.

The 15-time Grand slam winner has his work cut out to win only his second Wimbledon trophy, however with the sporadic form of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic this year; he has not had a better opportunity of late.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has had a strange year for his high standards. Winning only one tournament and going out in round 64 of the Australian Open, followed by a Quarter final exit at the French Open has demonstrated a poor year so far for the Serbian.

Changing coach from Boris Becker to Andre Agassi has seemed to do no good to stop his slide from the peak of the tennis world. This week, for the first time in eight years, he will slip outside the top three in world rankings showing the dismay Djokovic is in. He was even accused of giving in by former player John McEnroe, after his French open departure, saying ‘I don’t remember seeing a time in the last six to eight years when Novak mailed it in, he basically gave up. It looked in the third set like he just didn’t want to be out there.’

The mindset of the 12 time Grand Slam winner seems on edge at the moment for the first time in his career and could easily exit Wimbledon early doors, yet the world number 4 has a positive record on the grass; reaching the last four of at least six of his last seven visits to the All England’s club.

Djokovic will undoubtedly have to play his best tennis of the season to win his fourth Wimbledon, but a struggling season suggests the Serbian will fall short.

Stanislas Wawrinka

Wawrinka is often considered an after thought to the usual top three when thinking about who is going to win Wimbledon, but having won three Grand slam’s in three years the Swiss is proving his chances must be taken serious.

The recent French open finalist has shown he is a real threat to the normal top four after winning the Australian Open in 2014 and has pushed on from there with the French and US open trophies won in consecutive years.

The 32 year old has had a solid year so far and seems the most consistent contender going into the Wimbledon, with a semi final at the Australian Open and reaching the final at the French as well as winning the Geneva Open in May.

‘Stan the Man’ seems on ease on grass with the effortless one handed backhand, however has never gone past the quarter finals at Wimbledon, this year could be his best opportunity to do so.

Outsiders 

Even though every Grand slam of recent has seemed to have been won by the usual four or the recent addition of Wawrinka, there is always the chance of an outsider playing the best tennis of his career and taking the trophy.

Marin Cilic in 2014 and Juan Martin Del Potro in 2009 both managed that feat winning the US Open, being the only men out of the five mentioned since 2007 to do so.

Yet miracles do happen and Wimbledon is the place for them. The young Alexander Zverev is coming on leaps and bounds at the age of 20 and has already won three titles this year; the German could reach the latter stages without a doubt.

Another possible outsider is big hitter Miles Raonic, who has already a Wimbledon final appearance under his belt, as well as only losing six times this year could be the one to upset the favourites.