Serena Williams or Petra Kvitova. Ask most tennis fans who will win the Ladies singles this year at Wimbledon and chances are they will say one of those two names. However if they fail to win the title, who will take advantage? Here are five players who could go far.
Lucie Safarova:
Last year’s semi-finalist Lucie Safarova will be sure to have her eyes on the trophy this year. After reaching the French Open final this year before losing in three sets to Serena Williams, Safarova will be desperate to go one better and get her hands on her first Grand Slam. Playing some of the best tennis of her career, she comes into Wimbledon as the 6th seed and has a kind draw before potentially meeting Serena in the semi-finals. With Maria Sharapova having an inconsistent season her main competition for the quarter could be Karolina Pliskova. Her lack of grass matches this year however could hinder her early on with only one match under her belt on the surface, a straight sets loss to Dominika Cibulkova in Eastbourne.
Victoria Azarenka:
Former World number one Victoria Azarenka is slowly getting back to the tennis that saw her win two Australian Opens back in 2012 and 2013. A solid grass court player, reaching the semi-finals twice, Azarenka will be looking to start making deep runs in Grand Slams and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her progress past the first few rounds with ease. Potentially facing Serena Williams in the quarter-finals however may be where her tournament could end, however she has troubled her in their two matches this year, taking her to three sets in both but ultimately coming up short. Another player with only one grass match this year, winning in Birmingham before withdrawing, she’ll need to use her first few matches to get back in the rhythm.
Camila Giorgi:
Enigmatic would probably be the best word to describe Camila Giorgi, some days looking like a world beater whilst some days looking like the world could beat her. Winning her first title in Hertogenbosch, she will fancy her chances against anyone and if she plays to her ability it’s hard to disagree with her. If she can negotiate a tricky potential third round against Caroline Wozniacki she could quite feasibly make it to the semi-finals. However it remains to be seen whether she can build on her first title, or if her erratic side will come out and she falls early on. As the 31st seed she was dangerously close to being unseeded however if she can avoid her erratic matches then she will be one to avoid for anyone in the draw.
Agnieszka Radwanska:
The grass season has been an unexpected blessing for Agnieszka Radwanska. After a miserable season so far she came into Nottingham with minimal expectations. However the first few matches of Nottingham seemed to show a Radwanska of old with her strolling through her first few matches in straight sets. However her 6-0 final set against Monica Niculescu brought her back down to earth in a surprise loss. Bouncing straight back however in Eastbourne with solid wins against Karolina Pliskova, Sloane Stephens and Tstevana Pironkova, what looked like it would be a miserable Wimbledon has suddenly turned into a potentially good tournament for the Pole. With Wimbledon being her best slam after reaching the final in 2012, she could cause any player issues. A tough potential fourth round tie against Petra Kvitova is the main stumbling block for her but if she can negotiate that then she will fancy her chances of reaching the semi-finals.
Karolina Pliskova:
With four finals already in 2015, Karolina Pliskova’s year could not be going much better. With a best performance in Wimbledon of the second round (reached in 2013 and 2014), the Czech in all likelihood will go further this year. After reaching the final of Birmingham, losing to Angelique Kerber in a close fought match, Pliskova will come into Wimbledon knowing she has the game to go deep into the second week. With a powerful game that suits grass, she has been handed a mixed draw being placed in the same quarter as Maria Sharapova and Lucie Safarova, however she has the form and the talent to trouble anyone and she’ll go into these matches believing she can beat them. It’s difficult to see her relatively poor grand slam record continue (having never made it past the third round at any slam) and it would be a surprise if she didn’t put in a good showing this year.