The former coach of Roger Federer has predicted which male players are the frontrunners for the Wimbledon title.
Ivan Ljubičić, who was in Swiss Maestro’s corner from 2016 until the end of his career in 2022, watched him triumph at the All England Club on a record eight occasions.
Now the Croatian, a former player in his own right, is looking ahead to the latest edition of the grass court Grand Slam.
It is difficult to guess who will reign supreme at SW19 this year but the former World number three has named two players that are at the front of the queue when it comes to winning Wimbledon.
Who does Roger Federer’s former coach think are the favourites to win Wimbledon?
Neither of the players Ljubičić named as the favourite for the Wimbledon title include Novak Djokovic. This is due to the Serbian still trying to recover from knee surgery after tearing his meniscus at the French Open which forced him to withdraw from the tournament.
With the uncertainty surrounding the 24-time Grand Slam champion and the form of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the 45-year-old thinks the Australian Open and defending Wimbledon champion are most likely to win the prestigious event in 2024.
“Right now my favourites are Jannik and Carlos,” Ljubičić said. “The world No 1 is the top favourite for the title on paper, as he will also arrive with a very good run after winning the Halle tournament. Federer won many after conquering Halle, we will see if it is also the turn of Sinner.
“Meanwhile, Carlos could not defend his crown at Queen’s, facing Wimbledon without the necessary experience and with the mission of reclaiming the title.”
What was Roger Federer’s Wimbledon record while coached by Ivan Ljubičić?
Ljubičić became Federer’s coach in 2016, the year he injured his knee while playing Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
He did not play again until the 2017 Australian Open which he won and several months later won his eighth and final title SW19.
A year later Federer lost his quarter-final with Kevin Anderson despite having a two set lead, and returned to the final in 2019 where he faced Djokovic.
The pair would contest one of the greatest matches of all time as Federer squared two championship points to lose 7–6(5), 1–6, 7–6(4), 4–6, 13–12.
In 2021 Federer returned for his final Wimbledon and reached the quarter-finals, where he suffered a straight sets loss to Hubert Hurkacz in what was the final singles match of his career.
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