The Gryphon Sport looks at five players outside the top 10 who could reach the latter stages at The All England Club on the men’s side of the draw.

 

Kevin Anderson

The 6’8’’ South African with the huge serve will definitely be one to watch during the fortnight. Anderson is in the best form of his career, reaching a career-high ranking of No.14 following his performance at Queen’s, having been in the top 25 for the last two years. He was defeated by Murray in that final, but had beaten higher-ranked opponents in the process, including Gilles Simon and recent French Open Champion Stanislas Wawrinka. It was the first final that he had ever reached on grass, with his adept volleying proving crucial to his success. At SW19 last year, he vanquished the highly talented but temperamental Fabio Fognini en route to the last 16 when he was defeated in straight sets by Murray. That was his best showing at the tournament so far. Expect him to match or exceed that this time around.

 

David Goffin

Along with Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov, the Belgian is the joint-youngest player in the top 20 at 24. He has made massive strides in the past year, rising from No.105 in the world 12 months ago to a current high of No.15. He picked up his first two titles last year, in Metz on the hard court (beating Tsonga in the quarter-finals) and Kitzbühel on the clay, seeing off another 21-year-old Dominic Thiem in three sets. In addition, he reached the final in Basel in October 2014, beating Raonic in the process, but did not have enough to get past the imperious Federer. Grass has not been his favourite surface, and his best performance was in 2012, when he reached the third round. However, his strong forehand gives him a chance to improve that performance in a week’s time.

Alexandr Dolgopolov

One of the most exciting yet infuriating players on the men’s tour, the Ukrainian’s lack of consistency has been his nemesis. Despite his incredible range of shots and the level of power he can generate off both wings despite being relatively slight, he finds himself right down at No.75 in the world rankings, having been as high as No.13 three years ago. This volatility was perfectly demonstrated at Queen’s, when he disposed Rafael Nadal in three thrilling sets, before going down 6-3, 7-6 to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. He has only reached one ATP Tour final in the last two years, in Rio de Janeiro, with his last title coming in 2012 on the Washington hard courts. He has produced his best performances at SW19 in the past two years, reaching the third round on each occasion, and it seems that, a lot of the time, his biggest opponent is himself.

Nick Kyrgios

The youngest player in the top 30 at just 20 years old, the Australian burst onto the scene at last year’s championships, stunning the Centre Court crowd with his composure and bravado as he outplayed Nadal. At the same tournament, he came from two sets to love down to oust 13^th seed Richard Gasquet, winning the dramatic decider 10-8. He eventually reached the quarter-finals; quite a statement from a player who had previously never passed the second round of a major. He reached his first tour final last month, losing to Richard Gasquet in straight sets on the clay in Estoril. His year has also been disrupted by back and ankle injuries, but he has shown since his stunning performance at The All England Club last year were no fluke, reaching the last eight of the Australian Open in January. His powerful strokes and athleticism always give him a chance of repeating this feat.

Jerzy Janowicz

The giant Pole caused a stir when he reached the 2013 Wimbledon semi-finals, with his thunderous forehand and excellent drop shot proving very effective. He met his end in the semi-finals that year at the hands of Murray, but only after he had beaten Jurgen Melzer and Nicolas Almagro among others. He had announced himself on the big stage eight months prior, with a brilliant run to the final of the Paris Masters, before losing to David Ferrer in straight sets. However, it represented monumental progress for a player who had, in just over a year and a half, risen from No.204 to No.26 in the world. 2014 was a difficult year, constantly punctuated by injuries, which resulted in Janowicz dropping out of the top 50. Even so, he still managed to reach the final in Winston-Salem, where he was edged out in an exciting encounter with Lukas Rosol. If the 24-year-old can stay fit, then his style of play gives him a chance to emulate the level that he displayed two years ago.

 

Alex Bowmer