Top Wimbledon contenders not named Federer

Like Rafael Nadal on clay, it would seem Roger Federer faces little in the way of resistance as he aims for his ninth Wimbledon title. But looks can be deceiving.

Here are the players who are must likely to ruffle Federer's feathers—or at least stand a good chance of facing him in the final.

1

Rafael Nadal

Nadal is the King of Clay but he's still a dangerous threat on grass. The Spaniard has won two titles at Wimbledon, in 2008 and 2010. It's been a long while since he's won in white, but it's tough to count him out.

2

Marin Cilic

It’s time to stop taking Cilic for granted and acknowledge him as the threat he is. The Croatian has won the US Open and appeared in two of the last four major finals, after all.

3

Juan Martin Del Potro

Del Potro is having one of his best seasons, with titles in Acapulco and Indian Wells and a semifinal finish at Roland Garros. When you consider that it was Federer he beat for the title in Indian Wells, and that his game is literally tailor-made for grass (huge serve, huge forehand and slice backhand), what’s not to like? The Boodles exhibition will be his lone tune-up before Wimbledon.

4

Nick Kyrgios

The Aussie went the distance with Federer at Stuttgart and beat Andy Murray in Queen's Club in his first appearance since a bad hip sidelined him for a year. Speaking of hips, Kyrgios’s seemed to bother him during their match and he has a bit of a history with hip injuries at Wimbledon. Still, if he’s healthy, no one’ll want to play him, not even Federer.

5

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic actually had a pretty good French Open, despite losing to a player you couldn't fathom him losing to a few years ago (Marco Cecchinato). Progress is slow, but it’s progress. He’ll look to continue it on grass as he preps for Wimbledon, an event he’s won three times.

Darkest Horse — Stefanos Tsitsipas

The Greek has been one of the breakout stars of the season and is finishing an awful lot of points at the net during this young grass-court campaign. That should play nicely at Wimbledon, where he’s within striking distance of a seed.

Honorable Mention – Andy Murray

Murray impressed in his three-set loss to Kyrgios, his first pro match in roughly a year. As the owner of the second-highest win percentage on grass among active players, a deep run at Wimbledon isn’t out of the question, but his fitness, health and match-toughness will likely take some time to return.

A LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY DURING THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENT IN SPORTS, CELEBRATING THE UNPARALLELED FEDERER-RIVALRY AND 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATEST MATCH EVER PLAYED.

In association with All England Lawn & Tennis Club, Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment and Amblin Television.  Directed by Andrew Douglas.