By Chris Oddo | Friday, June 13, 2014

 

The grass season is five days old and players like Grigor Dimitrov are already making their case for dark horse consideration at Wimbledon.

Photo Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty

As Wimbledon approaches at breakneck speed, tennis fans know who the usual suspects are. The big four (who need no introduction), the top ten (the Berdych’s, Wawrinka’s, Gulbis’s and Nishikori’s of the world), and the grass-court gurus (Lleyton Hewitt, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Ivo Karlovic and the like).

But this week on the grass courts of Queen’s Club and Halle, a cluster of unproven, lower-ranked yet highly dangerous players are proving that they could be capable of some bracket-busting at Wimbledon. We are not pegging them to win Wimbledon, or even necessarily to make the second week (though we think a few of these players could), but we do sense that they could play some wildly entertaining tennis at Wimbledon or provide a major upset at the All England Club (or both), and—who knows?—maybe make an appearance at Wimbledon’s famous manic Monday.

Here’s a look at the eight players who showed promise this week in Halle or London, and what makes each of the eight dangerous on grass (Note: the list is based only on players who were active this week on the grass—check back next week for another update):

1. Dustin Brown

The hard-serving, kinetically gifted Brown reached the third round of Wimbledon last season—his best Grand Slam performance to date—and on Thursday he absolutely pummeled Rafael Nadal in Halle, 6-4, 6-1, to reach the quarterfinals. Brown fell in a third-set tiebreaker to Philipp Kohlschreiber on Friday, but he once again proved up to the task of matching wits and strokes with a top player on grass, and had he not failed to convert on each of his five match points in the decider, he’d be into his first career semifinal.

Why He’s Dangerous

Brown is a fantastic server that has no problem reeling off holds on the grass, but he’s also a dynamic returner that tends to take the racquet out of his opponent’s hands whether he’s serving or returning. His style of play can be exceptionally difficult for top players to deal with as they can’t control tempo or get into the rhythm they like. If Brown is making the shots he’s going for, he’s got a chance to knock off a top player for sure, and, who knows, he could reel off a run of wins and find himself in the second week.

2. Radek Stepanek

The 35-year-old throwback is built for grass with his old-school, worm-burning ground strokes and his propensity to serve-and-volley, drop, dink, lob and slice. This week Stepanek dipped into the toolbox to notch his first top ten win since 2012 when he took out Andy Murray at Queen’s Club, and on Friday he followed up that win with a three-set victory over Kevin Anderson.

Why He’s Dangerous

If Stepanek is playing well enough to get past Murray and Anderson in back-to-back matches, he is certainly in good enough form to make a run (mini-run?) at Wimbledon. With the right draw, could the former Wimbledon quarterfinalist find himself making a similar run at the age of 35? Why not?

3. Kenny De Schepper

The bomb-serving lefty has won one main draw Grand Slam match outside of Wimbledon, but thanks to last year’s fourth-round appearance, the Frenchman owns four Wimbledon wins. He was ousted in Queen’s this week in a third-set tiebreaker by Feliciano Lopez, but before he left he did manage to upset Ernests Gulbis in straight sets.

Why He’s Dangerous

He’s a lefty, with a nasty serve, and he likes grass more than any other surface.

4. Peter Gojowczyk

Gojowczyk showed what he can do on grass earlier this week when he shut down Canada’s Milos Raonic in Halle, 6-4, 6-4. He's been in career-best form ever since the year began, reaching his first career semifinal in Doha, and playing magnificently when called upon by Germany to play Davis Cup against France. Who could forget his epic win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to open the tie on French soil?

Why He’s Dangerous

Gojowczyk will have to qualify because he is six players out of the Wimbledon cut-off list, but if he gets in he’ll have three matches under his belt and he’ll be a tough out for anybody he faces in the first week. Not making any promises here, but the German has been catching our eye all year, and we think he's far better than his current ranking of 120 in the world.

5. Alejandro Falla

The Colombian very nearly pulled the upset of a lifetime when he had Roger Federer down two sets to love at Wimbledon in the first round in 2010. He fell short in that match, but Falla, another tricky lefty, is into the Halle semifinals this weekend after three straight wins.

Why He’s Dangerous

He’s a lefty (you can never discount the value of some good old-fashioned "leftiness") that plays relatively flat groundstrokes and has great touch around the net. Can he go deep in the draw? Probably not, but he could improve upon his career-best third-round appearance at Wimbledon if he puts his best foot forward.

6. Grigor Dimitrov

The World No. 13 has never been beyond the second-round at Wimbledon, and that is bound to change very, very soon. He’s got the perfect game for grass: Heavy power and aggression from the forehand wing, a great backhand slice that he loves to use, a daunting serve, and great touch around the net. Obviously Dimitrov is more accomplished than the rest of this group (as his ranking attests), so that could unqualify him for dark horse status. But since he has yet to get past the second round at Wimbledon, we'd still see a Dimitrov run to the second week as a very big upside surprise.

Why He’s Dangerous

Because he’s one of the most talented players (the most talented player?) outside the ATP’s top 10, and he’s D-U-E!

7. Marinko Matosevic

Now that the hot-headed Aussie has the Grand Slam monkey off his back (he won his first match at the Grand Slam level in 13 tries at Roland Garros), is he ready to prove what type of a talent he can be on the grass? All signs point to yes after he reached the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club this week, taking down Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the process.

Why He’s Dangerous

Because he’s crazy, and like many Aussies, he seems to like the grass. No promises here, but we just think Matosevic has long been more talented than his performance at Slams, and grass is a surface that suits his game.

8. Bernard Tomic

Bernard Tomic got his first win since January in London this week, taking out American Tim Smyczek in three sets before bowing out to Radek Stepanek in two tiebreakers. Does it mean that the controversial, enigmatic Aussie is ready to recapture his best form and make another run to the second week at Wimbledon as he did in 2011? Hard to imagine, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t get a few wins.

Why He’s Dangerous

Besides Australia, this is the place where Tomic tends to actually play like he wants to win. When he does that—and if he’s truly healthy—he is a dangerous player to face. Nobody in tennis is capable of taking an opponent out of his rhythm like Tomic. If his game—and his head—come together, he could do damage.