Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/ Corleve

Tennis Now provides their top writers' and editors' opinions on the winners and darkhorses at Wimbledon.

James Waterson's Picks

Men's Singles Winner – Roger Federer
I still believe that on his day, Roger Federer is still the king of grass courts. In Paris, he really elevated his level of play, and he proved that he is still relevant by defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. At Wimbledon, where he has been the most prolific, he must favor his chances. It also helps that he has a relatively weak quarter.

Men’s Darkhorse – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
He’s always a dangerous player, and he’s got a great game for the grass courts. He got to the Queen’s final last week and narrowly lost to World No. 4 Andy Murray, and he’s in a relatively weak quarter, as the highest-seeded player he can play before the fourth round is 22nd-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Women's Singles Winner – Maria Sharapova
Of all the top competitors, she’s got the combination of being one of the few players who is not only playing well, but whose game also suits the grass court. She got to the semifinals at Roland Garros, a surface that doesn’t necessarily suit her, so she will feel confident returning to a place she has won a title before.

Women’s Darkhorse– Julia Goerges
The young German has put together some great results within the last few months, including victories against World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Samantha Stosur, so she’s proven she can compete with the best. She may not win the tournament, but look for her to advance to the later rounds.

Lauren Lynch's Picks

Men's Singles Winner– Rafael Nadal
I predict another and exciting Nadal vs. Federer final that will be watching in 3D heaven by adoring tennis fans but I think the defending champion will come through and win it in five sets. Novak Djokovic is still trailing on Rafa's tail for the top spot in the draw and Nadal plays well under pressure like we saw at Roland Garros despite some sloppy play. He has the most to lose and the most to fight for.

Men's Darkhorse– Andy Murray
He recently won at the Queen's Club and has won three-fourths of his matches on grass with a career record of 44-11. Less eyes are on the Brit because of the focus on the current top three and his dismal play between the Australian Open and the French. The lack of pressure will help his game, which is well suited for grass, like the pressure will do good things for Nadal's.

Women's Singles Winner– Maria Sharapova
Your guess is as good as mine because it could be anyone, however, Sharapova is finally injury free and has had fairly a consistent season. She has finals experience, has been to the semifinals twice at the All England Club, and she won in 2004. She has said that this major is her favorite and she will likely be able to push through the Williams sisters. She has remained 11-6 on grass against top 5 players.

Women's Darkhorse– Li Na
Considering that she is coming off winning a slam on her most hated surface, the Chinese star is not much of a darkhorse but if you were to ask anyone a year ago about Li they would have shrugged their shoulders. She has made it to the quarterfinals twice on the grass and has benefited greatly by the Williams' absence from the final rounds. She will use her major momentum to win another title.


Nick Georgandis' Picks

Men's Singles Winner– Roger Federer
He's played a tremendous clay-court season on his weakest surface and is about to switch to his best. His 96-14 mark on grass is the equivalent of Nadal's dominance on clay.

Men's Darkhorse– Alexandr Dolgopolov
He's young, he knows what Wimbledon means- thanks to being the son of a former pro and he's seeded just high enough to avoid any of the real big boys until things get serious.

Women Singles Winner– Li Na
By the process of elimination, she's the only top seed who isn't prone to falling apart (Wozniacki, Zvonareva, Stosur) or injury (Azarenka) on the big stage.

Women's Darkhorse– Venus Williams
With all the focus on sister Serena, the lower-seeded Williams will remind opponents why she's collected


Matthew Hursh's Picks

Men's Singles Winner– Roger Federer
Coming off an impressive runner-up performance at Roland Garros, Fed has made Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal look more beatable than we thought a month ago. Nadal will have to be in top form to win the French and Wimbledon in the same year, and the switch to grass could give Federer his chance if he keeps serving well.

Men's Darkhorse– Andy Murray
Although Murray isn't much of a darkhorse at No. 4 in the world, I think he's the one player outside of the top three that can win. With the hopes of a desperate nation on his back, Murray has a chance to parlay a successful showing at Queen's Club into a deep run in front of the home fans.

Women's Singles Winner– Maria Sharapova
Although I thought Maria would win the French, she came up just short with a semifinal appearance to show for it. On a more comfortable surface that suits her game, Sharapova will be the player best suited for the grass as long as she can hold off the Williams sisters.

Women's Darkhorse– Petra Kvitova
After losing to Serena in the semifinals at Wimbledon last year and now into the semis of the AEGON International, Kvitova has shown that she is comfortable on grass. She took eventual champion Li Na to three sets in the round of 16 at Roland Garros, so she must have some confidence going into Wimbledon. This could be where Kvitova puts it all together.

Richard Lucas' Picks

Men's Singles Winner - Roger Federer
One would have to assume his relatively dominating trip through Roland Garros (up until he met Nadal) gave Federer a ton of confidence coming into his favorite major. Also helping him out is that until the round of 16, he is likely to avoid any dangerous competition. He could face Isner and a confident Tsonga on his way to a possible semifinal matchup with Djokovic. Despite the challenges, if he can serve the way he did in the first six rounds in Paris, he's going to be tough for anyone to beat.

Men's Darkhorse - Feliciano Lopez
Lopez is a player that has increble potential for a surface like grass, and has been given a draw that gives him plenty of opportunity to play the upset. A two-time quarterfinalist, he has the big lefty serve to give opponents fits, but his obvious lack of consistency means that he will either fall in flames early, or battle the top seeds. I don't believe that he is capable of making it to the final, but he could meet, and beat, Andy Roddick in the third round.

Women's Singles Winner - Vera Zvonereva
Last year's finalist is likely to struggle a bit along the way, but her draw looks relatively favorable. A potential matchup with Venus Williams or Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round could be just early enough that Williams will not have hit her major stride or is eliminated already. In the quarters, a matchup with Kvitova or Svetlana Kuznetsova looms, with little challenge from the other quarter in her half.

Women's Darkhorse - Julia Goerges
Gifted with a draw that allows her to avoid dangerous players until a potential quarterfinal with Maria Sharapova, Goerges is in the same section as Wozniacki, a player she has beat twice already. The faster, low-bouncing courts of the All England Club will allow Goerges to hit through many of her opponents. If she catches Sharapova on an off day with her serve, she could sneak deep into the draw.