As far as the pundits are concerned, Novak Djokovic will win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon 2023 – nobody else in the draw is in the form, or has the pedigree on grass, to challenge the Serbian.
Maybe that’s what will transpire, but there are plenty of dangerous opponents lurking on the quick surfaces at SW19 – particularly some underdogs who will take some beating by Djokovic or anybody else.
The women’s draw appears to be wide open, with the bookmakers pricing three players as joint favourites – that’s a sure sign that even they are unsure of how things will pan out.
In that spirit, here are five dark horses who can upset the odds at Wimbledon in July.
Hubert Hurkacz
At 60/1, those betting on tennis are likely to overlook Hubert Hurkacz in favour of any of the 14 players who are considered to have a better chance of winning Wimbledon – Djokovic, for example, is 4/6 and Daniil Medvedev 13/2.
But well-informed tennis tips will reveal that Hurkacz has one serious weapon that can carry him through the early rounds of the tournament: a serve considered to be one of the best on the ATP Tour. The Pole sits second in the Tour’s Serve Ranking metric, with an average of 15.7 aces per match in the past year – only Nick Kyrgios, last year’s beaten Wimbledon finalist, has served better.
The 26-year-old will need to improve his volleying if he is to become a formidable serve-and-volley star on the grass, but a run to the semi-final of the Stuttgart Open in June on the surface is a strong start.
Frances Tiafoe
The American reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, finding himself 2-1 in front of David Goffin before succumbing to a 2-3 defeat.
Tiafoe followed that with a run to the semi-finals at the US Open to frank his Grand Slam credentials, and he’s starting to deliver on the ATP Tour as well: two titles in 2023, including victory at the Stuttgart Open on grass, reveal the player’s growing confidence.>
Cameron Norrie
There’s no doubt that the home crowd can elevate the performance of British players at Wimbledon.
Take Cameron Norrie, who found himself a set to the good against Djokovic in the semi-finals last year before the world number one was able to grind down his opponent in his time-served fashion.
Although he hasn’t had the best of seasons by his own standards, Norrie has still taken some big scalps in 2023 and will surely bring his A-game to SW19.
Caroline Garcia
A solid serve can heap the pressure on an opponent, and they don’t come much better than Carolina Garcia’s on the WTA Tour.
Of players who have completed 30 matches or more this season, the French woman has won 83.1% of her service games – the best ratio on the Tour.
She has, at times, flattered to deceive at the highest level, but her 2022 run to the semi-finals of the US Open – and victory at the season-ending WTA Finals – reveals Garcia’s increasing self-belief on the big stage.
Ekaterina Alexandrova
The Russian successfully defended her Rosmalen Open trophy on the grass of Hertogenbosch in June, defeating top seed Veronika Kudermetova in the final.
It’s a welcome return to form for the big-serving Alexandrova, who made her breakthrough in 2022 with two WTA titles and a first semi-final appearance in a WTA 1000 event.
As high as 16 in the world rankings back in February, Alexandrova will be hoping to reach the latter stages of Wimbledon – who knows, maybe that reliable serving action can take her even deeper into the tournament.
The 28-year-old, like the other four players on the list, will quietly fancy her chances of a shock win at Wimbledon 2023.
