Wednesday was a tough day for many tennis fans as 12 ranked players in both Men and Women's Singles were dispatched from the second round of Wimbledon 2013. Some had to bow out due to injuries, while others faced tough opponents and were shocked by their early departure in the tournament. As Andy Murray pursues his first Wimbledon title, he has one less top dog to deal with. Meanwhile, Serena Williams is the only Top 3 Women's Singles players left in the tournament. Automatically, these two become favorites to win the tournament now that the true competition is gone.
Murray does not have to worry about facing a top five player, in either No. 4 seed David Fedder or No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, until the tournament's finals, as both top five players from his half of the draw have now departed. Roger Federer was eliminated in an upset earlier today by an unseeded player, Sergiy Stakhovsky, in the second round of Wimbledon. Federer, chasing after his eighth Wimbledon title, was the talk of town as the player from Switzerland that was looking to make history. Instead, the only history Federer made in 2013 was becoming a part of one of the biggest upsets in tennis history as the No. 3 ranked player on the ATP World Tour was defeated by the No. 116 ranked player.
There also won't be No. 6 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he couldn't finish his match due to injury against Ernests Gulbis. No. 31 seed Julien Benneteau was also eliminated on Wednesday by unseeded Fernando Verdasco, while John Isner (18) and Marin Cilic (10) were also forced to withdraw from the tournament due to health reasons.
Over in Women's Singles, there was no doubt that Williams was the favorite coming in. However, following Maria Sharapova's loss to Michelle Larcher De Brito and Victoria Azarenka's withdrawal from the tournament due to injury, who else is talented enough to stand up to Williams? It will only make things easier for Williams as she pursues her 17th grand slam title.
When healthy, Williams is a tennis locomotive. She's unstoppable and no female tennis athlete can match her skills. As for Murray, he will have to keep focus knowing that Djokovic and Ferrer are still forces to be reckoned with in this tournament.
As long as they're healthy and minds are clear, Murray and Williams are more than capable of winning the 2013 Wimbledon title.
