It’s synonymous with strawberries & cream, Pimm’s and the strict dress code of all-white, Wimbledon begins at the beginning of next month and promises to be as exciting as ever. It’s the penultimate Grand Slam in the calendar, the only one played on grass, the oldest and most prestigious of tennis tournaments and is the pinnacle of the tennis season. Angelique Kerber is the reigning women’s singles champion, but is only priced at 14/1 to win the Grand Slam again this year. Before we discuss who’s in the running to challenge for her title, be sure to check out the latest Wimbledon women’s odds online.

Serena Williams

In the Open Era, Serena Williams is joint-second with the most Wimbledon wins, having won the singles title at the All England Club on no fewer than seven occasions. Last year, she made the final, losing out to Kerber, but has won back-to-back titles on three occasions, beginning with her first in 2002. In fact, three of those times, Serena beat her sister Venus and there’s only been one occasion where she’s lost out to her older sibling at SW19 (2008).

She may have slipped back out of the WTA top 10, however, the 37-year-old has one of the most admirable records in women’s tennis, with 72 WTA singles titles to her name, including 23 Grand Slam titles from 31 finals appearances. Williams may be coming to the end of her career, but there’s no reason why she can’t challenge for an additional title – which is why she’s the favourite with many of the bookies.

Petra Kvitová

The current WTA world number 5 may have suffered a shock defeat in the first round at last year’s Wimbledon, but Kvitová has won the tournament twice before: in 2011 and 2014. 

With 27 WTA titles to her name, including victories in the WTA Finals and multiple wins at the Madrid Open, the Czech will undoubtedly be looking to bounce back from last year’s heartache and overcome the calf injury which saw her retire from a round of 16 match at the Italian Open. 

Kvitová put in an outstanding performance at the Australian Open earlier this year, losing out to Naomi Osaka, 7-6(7-2), 5-7, 6-4 and has made three quarter-finals and two finals in competitions since. If she can stay injury-free, she’ll be one to watch.

Naomi Osaka

The world number 1 has recently made a huge impact on the women’s tennis scene and with two Grand Slam titles already to her name (the US Open last year and the Australian Open in January), and a further win at the BNP Paribas Open last March, there’s no doubting that 21-year-old Osaka has a bright future ahead of her.

Her best finish to date at Wimbledon has been the third round – in 2017 she lost to eventual runner-up Venus Williams, 7-6(7-3), 6-4; while just last year she lost 6-2, 6-4 to Kerber, who went on to win the final.

Despite having to withdraw from her quarter-final clash with Kiki Bertens at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Osaka is rightly up there with the favourites.

Shares:

Drop a Reply