Wimbledon: Will Federer claim No.7?

So once again, we return to the lush lawns of W18, for one of the undisputed highlights of the summer sporting calendar, Wimbledon, and a bill that includes the sport’s four brightest stars.

There’s Roger Federer – arguably the greatest player to have ever played the game; Rafael Nadal – the man the rest argue for; Novak Djokovic – a player with only one defeat in 43 matches; and Andy Murray – the Brit with the expectations of a nation on his shoulders. The world’s top four players have gone head-to-head with one another numerous times over the last few years, but never has a Grand Slam seen them all in such form.

Many observers felt Federer’s star was on the wane following a disappointing 2010, where he took just the one Grand Slam and relinquished his world number one spot – an almost unimaginable fall from grace for the most decorated man in the sport’s history. Yet the great Swiss remains the man to beat in a tournament that he has an almost spiritual connection with and an incredible dominance over.

The sight of the Blazer-sporting Federer lifting the famous trophy has become a staple of the British Summer – he will surely not be satisfied until he matches Pete Sampras’ haul of seven Wimbledon titles, a record he is agonizingly just one short of. His defeat of a seemingly unbeatable Novak Djokovic at the French Open proved that on this day he is just as brilliant as he ever was.

Once derided by purists as the antithesis of Federer’s graceful pedigree tennis, Rafael Nadal has established himself as the most consistently ruthless player in the game – a position reinforced by his claiming a sixth crown at Rolland Garros (and a tenth Grand Slam in total) – a stunning feat for a man only recently turned 25. A master of all surfaces, combining brute physicality with audacious top-spin and a tenacious will to win, the Spaniard is at the peak of his powers: the world number one, and reigning Wimbledon Champion, he hasn’t lost here since 2007. He begins as deserved favourite.

Blessed with the best return of serve in the game and incredible self-confidence, great things were expected of Novak Djokovic. Yet this time last year he looked in danger of never quite fulfilling that awesome potential. His shock Semi-Final defeat to unfancied Thomas Berdych saw the Serb at his lowest ebb, but in the resulting year he has been spectacularly revitalised – a heroic five set win over Federer in the Semis of the US Open seeming to shatter a previously troublesome inferiority complex when up against the best on the biggest stages.

He reaped the benefits of this shift in mentality during his remarkable 41 match winning streak from the beginning of 2011 – defeating all his major rivals, eventually brought to a halt at the French Open just one win short of claiming the world number one ranking for the very first time. Victory here will put Djokovic on the top of the pile – a place he will feel he belongs.

Following defeat to Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open, and a dismal run in the next few months, it was tempting to believe that Andy Murray had hit something of a glass ceiling in his career. Yet a career-best Semi-Final placing at Rolland Garros and his second title on the grass of Queens (in a run which included a stunning 59 minute demolition of perennial Wimbledon contender Andy Roddick) gives credence to a renewed sense that he is on the verge of his maiden Grand Slam, and that backed by the partisan W18 support, that long-awaited dream of a British Wimbledon winner might finally become a reality. However, being British, we should probably expect a heart-breaking Quarter-Final exit, and the sound of a million people losing interest in tennis for at least another year.

While you’d be hard pressed to see anyone else in the men’s draw overhauling those four players, the women’s draw on the other hand looks a lot more open. The Williams sisters will once more be in the running, and Maria Sharapova’s upturn in form suggests she is in with a real chance of reclaiming the title she won as a 17 year old.

Caroline Wozniaki will be under pressure to deliver a first Grand Slam to merit her position at the top of the rankings, but has thus far underwhelmed in the prestige tournaments.

If anyone looks likely to claim a maiden slam it is Vera Zvonareva, last year’s losing finalist, whose consistency and form over the last 12 months should see her go far.

Finally, on a sad note, Kim Clijsters has had to withdraw from the competition with a foot injury. She has been a revelation since her return from retirement, and the woman recently named 16th on the TIME magazine list of the top 100 most influential people would have in with a real shot of her elusive first Wimbledon title.