Wimbledon 2016 predictions

Will Novak Djokovic extend his quest for the calendar Grand Slam at Wimbledon? Will Serena Williams finally capture her elusive 22nd major to tie Steffi Graf's record? theScore's esteemed tennis writers, Joe Wolfond and Michael Amato, are here to help handicap the sport's most famous tournament.

Here are our predictions for Wimbledon:

Men's champ

Amato: Novak Djokovic

Unless you're betting with someone else's money, the only rational choice here is Djokovic. Rafael Nadal has withdrawn, Roger Federer still appears to be working his way back into form after knee and back injuries, and Andy Murray wasn't even in the same league as the World No. 1 after the first set of the French Open final. Barring another heroic effort from Stan Wawrinka, expect Djokovic to cruise to another major and keep his calendar Grand Slam dreams alive.

Wolfond: Novak Djokovic

This pick doesn't really demand an explanation, does it? Djokovic is going to be the overwhelming favorite in every tournament he plays for the foreseeable future. He's an island unto himself, John Donne be damned.

Women's champ

Wolfond: Serena Williams

Serena's come up short in all three of her attempts to equal Graf's 22-Slam record, but this has probably been her best major in recent years, and grass is the surface on which her deadly serve is deadliest. The truth about Serena's game is constantly at odds with relativism; she hasn't won a major since last year's Wimbledon, and has just one title in 2016, so it feels like she's slumping. In reality, she's still comfortably leading the field on the Road to Singapore, has lost just four matches all year, and remains the clear-cut No. 1. Even if milestone Slams have given her trouble, she always gets them eventually. Come fortnight's end, Steffi will have company.

Amato: Garbine Muguruza

Muguruza isn't just a clay-court player. She made the finals at Wimbledon last year and should be able to complete the task in 2016. The second seed has the power game to not just play with Serena, but beat her. Realizing that kind of confidence could make her the next great women's player.

Men's runner-up

Amato: Dominic Thiem

Thiem will carry his momentum from a strong French Open and make an even better run at the All England Club. The Austrian has beaten Federer twice in the past two months and his confidence is growing every day. Expect Thiem to take advantage of the absence of Nadal and an aging Federer over the rest of the summer, starting at Wimbledon.

Wolfond: Andy Murray

Again? Again!

Fun as it may be to dream on seeing a fresh face in a major final after two straight that have pit Murray against Djokovic, it's just difficult to envision anyone in Murray's half taking him down at his home Slam, be it Wawrinka or Thiem (neither a natural grass-courter), or Nick Kyrgios (who Murray has owned), or Richard Gasquet or Tomas Berdych (yeah, not happening). Even when he hasn't been able to conjure his best stuff this season, Murray's been able to handle anyone and anything thrown his way - with, you know, the one notable exception. So, after going out on a limb and picking him to win the French, I'm recycling the familiar script: Murray plays well enough to defeat six humans, Murray meets boulder, Murray exhausts himself trying to roll boulder up hill, boulder crushes Murray. Rinse and repeat.

Women's runner-up

Wolfond: Madison Keys

With a wide-open quarter of the draw, a surface that's friendly to her free-swinging power game, a fresh grass-court title in Birmingham under her belt, and a debut in the top 10, the time is ripe for Keys to break through to her first major final. The 21-year-old has been on a tear since bringing on Thomas Hogstedt as a coach in late April, and she won't have to face Serena (who she hasn't taken a set off of in three head-to-head matches) until the final.

Amato: Serena Williams

Serena is 0-3 in attempting to equal Graf's major record and the drought should continue at Wimbledon. Muguruza owns two victories over Serena and is getting used to playing the World No. 1 in big matches. The pair have met in two of the last four major finals and Muguruza seemed to have Serena figured out at Roland Garros. Beating her on grass won't be an easy feat, but Muguruza's game presents a difficult matchup for Serena.

Men's dark horse

Amato: John Isner

Isner has a real chance to make only his second grand slam quarterfinal over the next two weeks. The American's strong service game makes him a threat on grass and his ability to attack the net has improved greatly over the years. Isner could see himself play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round, but the Frenchmen has dropped all the way down to 12th in the world after making the quarters only once in his past four majors. Gasquet will be a tough potential matchup in the fourth round, but Isner has beaten him twice in his career.

Wolfond: Nick Kyrgios

Coming in healthy, confident, and seeded a career-high 15th, Kyrgios has a chance to make some serious noise at the All England Club, as he did with his arrival-announcing win over Nadal two years ago. He'll need to reach a heretofore unseen gear to topple Murray in the fourth round, but the turf has typically been kind to the big-hitting, combustible young Aussie, and he's got the game to get it done if he can keep his emotions in check. Which is, uh, not a small if.

Women's dark horse

Wolfond: Dominika Cibulkova

She's made three finals and won two titles in her last five tournaments, including this week's tuneup in Eastbourne, where she laid to rest some grass-court demons; she's won more matches this year (29) than any other woman on tour; and she's taken two straight (and four of six) from world No. 3 Aga Radwanska, the top seed in her quarter of the draw. Suffice it to say that Cibulkova has rediscovered her form after a couple injury-plagued seasons, and is well-positioned to make a deep Wimbledon run.

Amato: Heather Watson

Wimbledon has been Watson's best tournament in her young career and that was on full display last year. In front of a home crowd, Watson pushed Serena to the brink in the third round, coming within two points of a massive upset before falling 7-5 in the third set. Watson could meet Serena in the third round again this year. Will she have enough to produce a different result in 2016?

Bold prediction

Amato: Murray doesn't make it past the quarters​

If the French Open was any indication, Murray's game isn't exactly where it needs to be. The World No. 2 struggled in the opening two rounds before somewhat righting the ship. In the finals, though, he looked completely out of sorts after beating Djokovic in the opening set and was beaten handily in the next three. It's that kind of inconsistency that will leave Murray primed for an upset at Wimbledon.

Wolfond: Muguruza falls in the first week

Whatever the reason - the pressure, the parity in women's tennis, the comparative randomness of playing best-of-threes - almost every recent breakthrough for a woman at a major has been immediately succeeded by a letdown, be it lasting or temporary. Big picture, Muguruza is here to stay, but that doesn't mean she's impervious to the post-Slam hangover. To wit: the only match she's played since her massive French Open win was a straight-sets loss to Kirsten Flipkens in Mallorca. (See also: her results after making her first major final at last year's Wimbledon.) Of particular concern to Muguruza is first-round opponent Camila Giorgi. Few players on tour take bigger cuts than Giorgi, and this is the surface that could really reward her if she starts finding the court.