Wimbledon returns on the 29th June with a full strength list of stars waiting to take to the oldest tennis tournament in the world. There are always favourites and dark horses that come through.
Reigning champions Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova will be looking to retain their titles at SW19.
Three Men to Watch
Lleyton Hewitt- Hewitt will be taking to the court for his last appearance at Wimbledon as a wild card after winning at SW19 back in 2002 with a straight sets victory over David Nalbandian in his second grand slam victory.
Hewitt has failed to deliver in recent appearances on grass, being knocked out in the second round last year and the fourth round the year before.
The 33-year old goes against the conventional style for male players with no real penetration in his forehand. But his technical style with the catching of short replies and drop shots being a key skill in his illustrious career that is slowly ending.
It is always a pleasure to watch a true great, and the Austrailian can definitely go in the list of Wimbledon greats.
Stan Wawrinka- The powerful Swiss star has often been forgotten about due to his compatriot Roger Federer, but the 30-year old is starting to step out the shadows again by beating Novak Djokovic to lift the French Open title.
Arguably with one of the strongest backhands on the tour Wawrinka is a dangerous prospect and a real threat to home favourite Andy Murray in his search for another grand slam. The 144 mph potential serve is a worry.
Despite his Roland Garros success, Wawrinka was knocked out of the Queens tournament in the second round against Kevin Anderson in his last grass court appearance on the 16th June. Wawrinka's grass court record does not read to clever winning only 50% of matches compared to Djokovic's incredible 80% record.
Kei Nishikori- Looking for an outsider? Nishikori has never won a grand slam title but always carries a threat. The Japanese star is at the crossroads in his career where he should be looking at winning a grand slam at the age of 25.
Back to back quarter-final exits in the past two grand slam events indicate consistency and a potential for success at SW19. Wimbledon is great for all-rounders and Nishikori has a solid offensive and defensive ability.
Nishikori takes balls earlier consistently, allowing him to dominate points efficiently. With a 60% win percentage on grass, there is a chance of him upsetting the odds.
Three Women to Watch
Sabine Lisicki- The aggressive German baseline player has a love affair with Wimbledon since winning her first match on the surface in 2008 - finishing second in 2013; reaching the quarter-final in 2014. Lisicki also has the form reaching the semi finals of the AEGON Classic.
Grass is also her preferred surface winning a commendable e 74% of ties on the surface. She has also has broken the WTA record for most aces in a game hitting 27 at Edgbaston Priory last week.
Ana Ivanovic- You have to question why Ivanovic is not a favourite for the crown? The Serbian is typically known for a general consistency over all surfaces. The 27-year old is an offensive player who shows vital grit in her style.
In 2008, Ivanovic was regarded as one of the best on the women's tour but suffered a dip recovering in powerful style returning to the world top five in 2014.
A win percentage of 68% is amongst some of the better as she looks to build on a semi-final loss at Roland Garros against Safarova.
Lucie Šafářová- The world number six won the Australian Open in style and put up a real fight against Serena Williams in her loss at Rolland Garros.
Šafářová is notorious for having a volatile return, capable of hitting clean winners, as well as unforced errors. Despite her success at Wimbledon, her preferred surface is clay. But with such a capable developed game you can only see Šafářová pushing title holder Kvitova and Serena Williams all the way.
