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Serena Williams can add Wimbledon to her 2015 haul even if she’s below par
Australian Open and French Open champion stands alone, but Petra Kvitova is a challenger and Agnieszka Radwanska a dark horse in the women’s draw
Serena Williams is obviously the overwhelming favourite. She overcame so much at Roland Garros. Clay is not her favourite surface and she was ill as well. She battled all that and she was still the champion. I think that sends a message to the rest of the field, the people who want to take her down, that she can win even when she is not feeling her best. Grass and the US Open hardcourts are her best surfaces. They are the tournaments that she has won the most, so to arrive at her two best grand slams after dealing with her two most difficult ones and winning them will give her so much confidence. I would not want to face her, that is for sure.
I would stick with Petra Kvitova as my other favourite, just on the basis that she has won so many times on grass. She has won Wimbledon twice and plays very well in Eastbourne. She didn’t play this year because of illness but she’s always very dangerous on the surface. She has this leftie game and this leftie serve that is very hard to deal with. Maria Sharapova is the other name to watch. Serena and Kvitova are the ones to beat but Sharapova can never be considered a dark horse when she has won Wimbledon already.
Angelique Kerber could also surprise a few people. She is a solid player. She has been at a semi-final already at Wimbledon and the German can be very dangerous on grass.
From a British perspective, we might have been able to speak more about Johanna Konta after her run to the quarter-final in Eastbourne, so it is a shame that she has been pitted against Sharapova in the first round. She could have done something with a better draw after her wins last week.
I also wish that Laura Robson could have returned a little bit earlier after her wrist injury. Seventeen months is a long time to be away. She would have had more confidence if she had played more matches before Wimbledon but she has only had one and she lost that to Daria Gavrilova. It is not easy and she will have to be patient.
Madison Keys is a little different. She has been around for a while, although she is only 20. For Madison, it is about how she deals with expectation. She has been to the semi-final of the Australian Open. When another young American, Sloane Stephens, announced herself on the big stage a couple of years ago, she beat Serena in the Australian Open. Madison lost to Serena but we saw the same style of games, the same kind of attitude on court. She was hitting the ball very smoothly. But she has struggled to make the transition since then. It is one thing to be the underdog, the one who can beat someone big and be flashy, but to become a top player, to assert yourself, you have to prove it yourself. You have to win matches against players you should beat and then perform again on every stage.
I am also really interested to see how Eugenie Bouchard plays. She hasn’t won many matches this year. She was in the final last year and that can be quite a dramatic situation when you return the following year.
I would stick with Petra Kvitova as my other favourite, just on the basis that she has won so many times on grass. She has won Wimbledon twice and plays very well in Eastbourne. She didn’t play this year because of illness but she’s always very dangerous on the surface. She has this leftie game and this leftie serve that is very hard to deal with. Maria Sharapova is the other name to watch. Serena and Kvitova are the ones to beat but Sharapova can never be considered a dark horse when she has won Wimbledon already.
Dark horses
Agnieszka Radwanska is my dark horse. The Pole has the right game now. She is flying a little bit under the radar but she has been in the final of Wimbledon before and pushed Serena Williams in three sets. If she arrives with confidence from Eastbourne and has not been too badly affected by losing the final, she can really do something big.Angelique Kerber could also surprise a few people. She is a solid player. She has been at a semi-final already at Wimbledon and the German can be very dangerous on grass.
From a British perspective, we might have been able to speak more about Johanna Konta after her run to the quarter-final in Eastbourne, so it is a shame that she has been pitted against Sharapova in the first round. She could have done something with a better draw after her wins last week.
I also wish that Laura Robson could have returned a little bit earlier after her wrist injury. Seventeen months is a long time to be away. She would have had more confidence if she had played more matches before Wimbledon but she has only had one and she lost that to Daria Gavrilova. It is not easy and she will have to be patient.
Ones to watch
The young player who stands out for me this year is Belinda Bencic. Her technique suits grass and she won her first title in Eastbourne on Saturday. She played really well in her final against Radwanska, who is not easy to beat at the moment. She maybe lacks a little bit of power but on the grass, with her agility and her hands and the feel she has on the ball, I think she will be able to do well. She is my main pick as a youngster.Madison Keys is a little different. She has been around for a while, although she is only 20. For Madison, it is about how she deals with expectation. She has been to the semi-final of the Australian Open. When another young American, Sloane Stephens, announced herself on the big stage a couple of years ago, she beat Serena in the Australian Open. Madison lost to Serena but we saw the same style of games, the same kind of attitude on court. She was hitting the ball very smoothly. But she has struggled to make the transition since then. It is one thing to be the underdog, the one who can beat someone big and be flashy, but to become a top player, to assert yourself, you have to prove it yourself. You have to win matches against players you should beat and then perform again on every stage.
I am also really interested to see how Eugenie Bouchard plays. She hasn’t won many matches this year. She was in the final last year and that can be quite a dramatic situation when you return the following year.
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