The Championships, Wimbledon

Ahh can you smell it? It's the scent of freshly cut grass in late June, which can mean only one thing, it's time to break out the white clothing and head on over to rainy England for The Championships, Wimbledon. Power tennis at its finest will be on display here over the next fortnight (a favorite word of the British announcers) as Roger Federer looks to win his first Grand Slam of 2008, his sixth straight Wimbledon title and his 13 overall Slam title. Here's hoping to some fine tennis in the country where tradition and custom is as much a part of the atmosphere as the tennis itself. But first, a quick look at some of the contenders:

Men's Draw:

#1 Roger Federer
Roger Federer has had, for the most part, a forgettable season. He has won a grand total of two titles to date, a feat he generally achieves the second week of February. Federer rebounded from his horrendous loss to Rafael Nadal in the finals at the Roland Garros to win the Gerry Weber Open and extend his winning streak on grass (he hasn't lost on the surface in about six years). Has Federer finally found his form or is he destined to lose to Nadal again?

#2 Rafael Nadal
Only three men have played in the last four Wimbledon finals, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal. Nadal has played in the last two Wimbledon finals and pushed Federer to five sets last year. It is clear that Nadal has raised his game of grass, and Bjorn Borg has gone on record as saying "If Nadal can get through the first couple of rounds at Wimbledon, he can win it". That's high praise from the man that Rafa is trying to emulate.

#3 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is having his best season on tour so far, he has won one Slam this year and reached the semi's of the other. Grass is much more suited to his game and he should breeze through to the semi's where he would most likely meet Federer. He managed to beat Federer in one Slam this year, can he do it again?

#6 Andy Roddick
This has been a so-so year for Andy Roddick. He's been injured and had a poor showing at the Australian Open, but he has beaten Nadal and Djokovic en route to a tournament win earlier this season. Roddick knows how to win on grass, and used to be the second best player on it, being a runner up twice to Federer at Wimbledon. A favorable draw could have him easily in the semi's, but that all depends on whether or not he's fully healed from the back problem that sidelined him at Roland Garros.

Quarterfinal Predictions:
#1 Roger Federer v. #11 Tomas Berdych
#3 Novak Djokovic v. #7 David Nalbandian
#4 Nikolay Davydenko v. #6 Andy Roddick
#2 Rafael Nadal v. #12 Andy Murray

Semifinal Predictions:
Federer v. Djokovic
Nadal v. Roddick

Finals Prediction
Federer v. Nadal

Champion
Nadal

Women's Quarterfinals Predictions
#1 Ana Ivanovic v. #8 Anna Chakvetadze
#4 Svetlana Kuznetsova v. #6 Serena Williams
#9 Dinara Safina v. #3 Maria Sharapova
#2 Jelena Jankovic v. #10 Daniela Hantuchova

Women's Semifinals Predictions
Ivanovic v. Williams
Jankovic v. Sharapova

Finals Predictions
Ivanovic v. Sharapova

Champion
Sharapova

Doubles Champion
Bob and Mike Bryan