Wimbledon, US Open predictions and what’s ahead in tennis

The clay season officially came to an end over the weekend, with Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic walking away with the top prizes and the No. 1 rankings at the French Open.

It was a historical fortnight for both players. With her fiercely contested win over Karolina Muchova, the 22-year-old Swiatek became the youngest player since Serena Williams in 2002 to win her fourth major title and the third woman in the Open Era to have a 4-0 record in Grand Slam finals. And for Djokovic, it was certainly one for the record books. Earning his 23rd major title with a straight-sets victory over Casper Ruud, he broke the tie with Rafael Nadal for most ever by a male player, and he is now tied with Williams for the most by any player in the Open era.

Having won the Australian Open to start the season, Djokovic now remains in contention for the elusive Calendar Slam. If he were to win one more Grand Slam title this season, he would match Margaret Court’s long-standing record for the most in the history of the sport. If he completes the season sweep, the record will be his alone.

Of course, there are two majors left to be played — on two different surfaces — and anything is possible for both the men and the women. So who, in addition to Djokovic and Swiatek, do you need to keep an eye on at Wimbledon and the US Open and their respective lead-in events? Here are some names you need to know about and some early predictions.

Wimbledon

July 3-16, 2023
Defending champions: Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina

Men: It’s hard to see anyone beating Djokovic at his favorite tournament with so much on the line. Many had counted him out ahead of his semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open, and he showed — for the umpteenth time — he is still the best player in the game, especially when it comes to best-of-five set matches. A seven-time champion at the All England Club, Djokovic has won the past four titles and is virtually unstoppable on the surface. Despite not playing in a single lead-in grass tournament prior to Wimbledon in 2022, he was pushed to a decider just once (against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals) during his run to the final. While most of his current rivals, especially with the continued absence of Nadal, are significantly younger, his experience on grass could serve as the difference-maker yet again.

But still, Djokovic does have to…