The Federer Invitational

Did you know? This tournament used to be called Wimbledon. Now a mere 21 sets separates Roger from Bjorn Borg's five consecutive titles at the All-England Club. Seven men stand in his way to try and derail him. Will the Swiss star stake a further claim to history at The Championships? Can Novak Djokovic continue his ascent in the men's game? Will Roddick finally break through? Let's wade through the men's draw.
Color me disappointed Roddick drew Federer's half of the draw. I can't be the only one that wanted to see a Nadal-Roddick showdown on Centre Court. We all know the tune of a Federer-Roddick match. And I promise, you won't hear any "This is Roddick's best chance to beat Federer" claims like you do everywhere else if Andy rolls through his quarter of the draw (Well, maybe Ben might. He keeps telling me Andy is going to do it). Roddick's quarter is relatively harmless; Ljubicic lurks as a possible fourth-round opponent, and Gasquet could finally get it together at a major and reach the quarters. However, Roddick should have little problem getting to another Wimby semifinal in his quest to lose as many times as possible to one guy.

Speaking of Federer, interestingly, some possible early-round match ups could present more trouble than later ones. Rising Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro could wait in the second round. You may remember him as the guy who served for the first set against Nadal in the opening round of the French Open. Don't let his country of origin fool you- he's a big boy and a thumper who is likely to have greater success on faster courts. The 18-year-old has risen to 55th in the rankings and has never faced Federer. Roger skipped Halle this year to pout, so he could very well catch a rusty Roger at the perfect time. And maybe Bjorn will have a dog bite him.

And look who is a possible third round obstacle: Marat Safin! It's just as likely he loses as it is he makes to the third round, but he always brings it against Federer, and you can bet Roger was not happy to see the Russian Roulette so close to him in the draw. Marat has the best chance of anyone to beat Federer at this tournament. If he feels like it, that is. The rest of the quarter looks completely nonthreatening to Federer.

Dynamic Serb Novak Djokovic has the hardest quarter of the top four seeds. Ivo Karlovic could wait in the third round, and that's a guy nobody wants to face on the sod. If not Karlovic, it could be Nicolas Kiefer, who gives top players fits. It doesn't get any easier. The fourth round includes Hewitt, Canas, and Max Mirnyi as possible opponents. He could see former finalist Nalbandian or Marco Baghdatis in the quarters. Novak has some choppy waters to navigate if he wants to climb into the #3 ranking.

With Roddick on the other half of the draw, things are shaping up nicely for Rafael Nadal to position himself for another run to the finals. He could run into Sebastien Grosjean in the third round, who can test him. Youzhny is little threat as a possible fourth round match. Berdych in the quarters could be a very entertaining match.

Tough luck draw: Robby Ginepri getting Fernando Gonzalez. The 2005 US Open semifinalist has really fallen fast and hard (injuries haven't helped). He could be headed for another quick exit. But Gonzo is just as likely to implode as to explode...

First round match I really want to see: Fabrice Santoro vs Ivo Karlovic. If you want a contrast in styles, you won't find a bigger one. Fabrice is a tricksy hobbit with every shot in the book (and a few that aren't in the book), while Ivo is a towering figure with one shot only. Of course, living in America, there is approximately -500% chance I'll get to see this.

Upset Alert: Mardy Fish vs Rafael Nadal. Yes, I'm really going out on a limb here, especially after Mardy found a creative way to miss the French, most likely costing himself a seed in the process, and Nadal looked pretty good at Queen's Club (remember, he lost in the quarters there last year, too). But hear me out: I think Mardy can pull this off he gets to the net as much as possible and exposes Rafa's backhand, which is anything but steady on this surface. If his serve is working, he's slicing a lot, and he's moving forward, he can make things very uncomfortable for Rafa.

Breakthrough player: Gael Monfils. Why not? He's been to the third round at SW19 before, and his draw is quite friendly. He has a solid chance of making it to the second week, maybe even the quarterfinals.

Bold prediction: I'll be annoyed with NBC approximately 16 seconds into their first broadcast when Jimmy Roberts shows his face.