FIVE major contenders for Wimbledon 2022 Men's Singles

Tennis' most anticipated tournament returns later this month as Novak Djokovic looks to defend his Wimbledon title.

The 2022 Wimbledon tournament will run through the end of June and into the second week of July and could mark the last finals appearance for home favourite Andy Murray.

Questions also remain over the involvement of tennis legend Roger Federer, who looks unlikely to feature after a lengthy struggle with injuries.

With Wimbledon 2022 looming large, we take you through the major contenders for the tournament

Novak Djokovic: Unbeatable?

Novak Djokovic heads into Wimbledon 2022 hunting for his seventh Men's Singles title in South London. The unflappable Serb has won each of the last three Wimbledon titles and five of the last seven, and there's no reason to doubt him heading into the 2022 rendition.

A French Open quarter-final exit at the hands of fellow legend Rafael Nadal should only prove a bump in the road for Djokovic as preparation turns to Wimbledon. He is the overwhelming favourite for a reason. The Serbian has reached the final in each of the last five Grand Slams he competed in.

The 36-year-old's task is made somewhat more comfortable this year given Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players this year. This rules out the talented Andrey Rublev and more crucially world number two, Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Djokovic in straight sets at the US Open in 2021.

The Challengers

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will take plenty of confidence into Wimbledon 2022. The clay-court master beat Djokovic in four sets in the quarter-finals of the French Open to set up a semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev. He also beat world number two, Daniil Medvedev, in the Australian Open back in January in the absence of the world number one.

However, the Spaniard's record at Wimbledon will play against him. Nadal has won just two Men's Singles titles in South London and hasn't appeared in a final there since 2011 when he was beaten by Roger Federer.

Matteo Berrettini

Wimbledon will hold a special place in the heart of the 26-year-old Matteo Berrettini, who made it to the final of last year's championships before losing to Djokovic in four sets. The Italian enjoyed a good run in the Australia Open at the start of the year, making it to the semi-finals before a four-set defeat to Rafael Nadal put an end to his tournament.

His record since then has been concerning though with a round of 16 exit to world number 61 Miomir Kecmanovic at Indian Wells proving a concerning result in his preparation for Wimbledon. The Italian has been nursing injuries this season and will hope to return to fitness ahead of Wimbledon this summer.

Carlos Alcaraz

Keep an eye on 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz for those looking to back against Djokovic this summer. The teenager is one of tennis' most exciting prospects and heads into Wimbledon in scintillating form.

A four-set defeat to Zverev in the quarter-finals of the French Open proves that consistency is still lacking, but he did get the better of the German in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid at the start of May. Victory in Madrid added to Alcaraz's titles in Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona and Miami in 2022, outlining him as one to watch this summer.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

World number three Zverev will almost certainly go deep into the tournament this summer, but I would look to the man that beat him in Rome last month, Stefanos Tsitsipas, for an outside shot at the Wimbledon title. The 23-year-old Greek has beaten Zverev in Rome and Monte-Carlo this year, winning the title of the latter.

Tsitsipas was well-beaten by Djokovic in Rome last month but gave world number two Daniil Medvedev plenty to contend with in an eventual semi-final defeat at the Australian Open earlier in the year. However, Djokovic did get the better of Tsitsipas when the two met in the 2021 French Open final.