Much unlike at the French Open, Wimbledon is relatively wide open on the women’s side. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is dominant on clay and just recently captured her third Roland Garros title, but her grass-court resume is less than outstanding. In fact, Swiatek has never reached a final on grass and her best performance at Wimbledon is a fourth-round result.
As such, it should be an interesting fortnight at the All-England Club. Here are three players who could contend for the title.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka and other Belarusians and Russians who were banned from Wimbledon in 2022 should be playing with a chip on her shoulder this summer. Of course, it’s not like Sabalenka needs anything extra to help her have success at this tournament. The 25-year-old is overall one of the best players in the world and arguably the best on grass. Elena Rybakina won Wimbledon last season, but what’s to say Sabalenka wouldn’t have if she had been able to play? She now arrives in London as a major champion (2023 Australian Open) and she may depart as a two-time slam champ–even though her draw is not a great one.
Petra Kvitova
Kvitova also finds herself in a rough bottom half of the bracket. The 33-year-old Czech could meet Karolina Pliskova in the third round, Rybakina in the quarterfinals, and Sabalenka in the semis. Nonetheless, Kvitova can handle anything that is thrown at her in SW19. She is already a two-time Wimbledon champion and as the reigning Miami Open winner it is clear that she is not slowing down. A recent title in Berlin confirmed that Kvitova remains one of the most dangerous grass-courters in the world.
Veronika Kudermetova
If you want to back a longshot, look toward the top half of the draw. Yes, Swiatek is there–but as mentioned before, Swiatek on grass isn’t Swiatek on clay. Outside of the top seed, the top half is very weak. Kudermetova is the one who could take advantage, as her grass-court summer is already highlighted by a runner-up showing in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and an upset of Sabalenka in Berlin. The 26-year-old Russian is without question a dark horse.
who ya got?
Women’s draw very competitive….but I’ll still take Iga!!!!
Muchova to go far
Muchova – I like her. And I don’t remember her being in the mix in the lead-up to RG. Was she playing in any pre-FO clay tournaments?
She seemed to come out of nowhere straight to the Final and almost beat Iga. But Iga doesn’t go away easily.
Yes, my initial reaction was to take her far. This time I have a Czech taking her out by Krejcikova. But it could go the other way around.
She did play Elena extremely close in either IW or Miami.
I don’t remember her doing anything really in the lead up to RG.
The thing about Muchova is she seems to really step up her game against the top players…
Kudermetova is ranked higher than Vekic.
Donna took some time to get back to her level before the injury. She looked great on the grass in Berlin, and their H2H is 3/2 Kudermetova. Their W/L record this year is 24 wins for each. Donna has ten losses to Veronika’s 13, nearly identical. Both have a stumbling block in their path to each other. Flip a coin. Vekic played Kvitova in the Berlin final, and Kvitova won the second set TB. Pretty much equally impressed with Vekic and Kudermetova. I have Garcia winning that section. Vekic is the one with the edge over Garcia.
Edit; after her injury,
Im not too convinced about Garcia now though.And she got Bouzkova in the way who likes grass .Thats a really tough section also with Pegula who doesnt have great record on grass.
Neither was I convinced that Garcia would make more than two rounds. She will go out to Bouzkova. I’m still fussing over Kudermetova and Vekic. I like the Vekic serve.
Veronika is more focused and strong mentally, maybe.
I am falling asleep, Big Al. Do we get all day Sunday–so rare to have this much time. I still have Kvitova winning. Good luck, Big Al!
Ta luck needed! Ive just decided Kvitova defeats either Keys or Sabalenka to reach the final . Swiatek there too .
In the mens, Im looking at Murray going a few rounds and definitely defeating Tsitsi .
But off to sleep now its 4am , picks dont have to be in till Monday .
Yeah Id back Kudermetova more than Vekic when it comes down to it in a big match.
Am hoping Saba loses early to Giorgi or goes out to Muchova.
Can’t take very much more of her. In fact she is already annoying the hell out of me.
On another thread I said I definitely saw Andy beating Romeo.
Iga has to be favoured to make the final given her draw.
Have been thinking that Saba should elope with the Cart Horse to Honolulu so we would never have to clap eyes on either one of them ever again…
Hahaha, Good one. Cart Horse dumps his internet influencer Floozie for sex kitten Saba Floozie. God, I can’t stand her! Hate to hear her miserable grunting. She at #1 will ruin tennis, reminding me of the Ukraine war. Her Belarussian face is everywhere, making me feel sick for Marta Kostyuk, Elina, and Anhelina.
Her being #1 will depress so many of us, amy.
Yes would be awful Elizabeth!
I had a hideous moment when I was reading an article and a video of the Cart Horse suddenly popped up! The Cart Horse was driving a Bentley and appears to be their brand ambassador! A very unwise choice on their part as he is emphatically not James Bond but a lumbering Cart Horse who regularly trips over his own feet..
Watch Bentley ‘s shares plunge on the stock market!!😀
PS it’s not Saba’s nationality which is the problem. Think of Dasha who is a model of courage and integrity and admired by the Ukranians. It’s who Saba is in relation to it..
That’s right. Sharapova at #1, Vika at #1, I never thought about where they are from.
There are many Russian players I like. Dasha is someone very special in my eyes.
Mira, I miss Rafa so much. The final weekend of RG and most especially the final was torture. I kept thinking how Rafa would be absolutely pulverizing Novak in the first set given how rubbish he was until the tiebreak. If he had played lik e that against Rafa he would quickly have lost the first 2 sets!
Wish we had a crystal ball and could see a Rafa coming back in 2024 and playing well!
Wimby is really miserable as well. There is no one to challenge Novak on grass now Rafa and Fed are out of the picture!
Amy, I don’t want Novak to keep winning Slams. He has enough. My ATP bracket got altered overnight 😀
If Kvitova makes the final, she will win. I’ve been in awe of her since she won her first Wimbledon and led the Czech team to Fed Cup glory.
She has so much experience. She’ll fight for the win if she is not too tired from the matches in her draw.
I am sure Novak is going to win! I don’t mind that in itself because he is a very great player so deserves it.
What I mind is Rafa not being there! Am sure mira feels the same..
I am not anti Novak winning as a,stance for its own sake..
Am very very nervous about getting too identified with Petra. I like her too much so get very upset..
Petra Kvitova has been through a lot. The stabbing of her left hand was difficult. She still has some trouble with it. Nerve pain is another reason why it would be so remarkable if she won again.
But Karolina Muchova deserve a GS. She has been injured a lot too. Ons’s story makes me wish for her to win here. Don’t worry; I will be happy for anyone except…but I wouldn’t say I like saying the name.
The one who shall never be named! 😀
Amy, having more than one favorite is what I naturally do. If Iga or Petra don’t make the QF SF or final, there’s a good chance Muchova, Ons, Krecikova, Ostapenko, or whoever wins; I will be happy for them. There is just that one, and people, mainly men or my Lesbian friend in Portland, will be celebrating. I’ll call her, and we will talk s#$% and laugh it off. She is a crazy fan of she who shall not be named. She is her desire.😍🤩
Mira Andi will be okay, amy. She is resilient and deeply spiritual. She is devout. And funny and has a big family. But I do hope she reads your post and comes calling. I’m sending her love and happiness right now. She must be reminded that she has a lovely room in my lonely and addled brain. I will find her on the wily web if she doesn’t come around. I still have a page on Twitter. I am shocked. I thought one of Musk’s minions would delete me by now. Mira Andi also uses Facebook. Horrible place for me to go. Anyway, I miss the Rafa fans here – they know tennis.
I am happy to chat with you, amy! Most places I read are optimistic about his return. We could use him now!
I’d most like Sinner or Medvedev to win but also Djoko to keep the calendar Slam going.
On the women’s Swiatek could win but boring choice.Id prefet to see Keys, Kvitova or Sabalenka win. Though I’ve gone off the latter after all the stories.
I am sorry Iga bores you, Big Al. She is a sweet Polish girl who still wears Ukrainian ribbons on her cap. She’s not much like another of my past favorite, Aga Radwanska, and I also love Aga. Maybe Caroline Wozniaki coming back will cheer you up.
No pity from me if Sabs loses and never realizes her dream of #1. About every male commentator and tennis Journo agrees with you.
Anyway, it will be okay. I will not be celebrating if she wins Wimbledon. I will not complain here either – just letting you know what I think about Belafloozie. 😀
I wouldn’t say I liked Sabs from the beginning. What is it with Vika, Sharapova, Saba, and the ott grunting?
Playing doubles is a good place for Sabs. I hoped she would stay there.
I like Iga Elizabeth.. Cheered for her throughout RG!
But I do want one of my other faves to win wimby. Iga is very young and is going to win a lot of slams. I want one of my other faves: Ons, Petra, Karolina, Barbora, Jelena or Elena to win..
Petra is my favourite of all…
PS you know how much I admire and respect Iga..
It’s out of my hands, amy. Iga is an extraordinary athlete – no fluff, no make-up. She’s motivated more than a lot of young women her age. She gives her all. I think she makes the QFs, if she can adjust her forehand. Her forehand is excellent on every other surface, but I believe the analysts when she is shocking me every time she hits it into the net. Her serve is better than ever right now. I don’t need her to win, but as you can tell, I relate to her personality and drive. And I am her crazy fan.
Muchova, Krejcikova, Ons (Kvitova again), all of them I would love to see win. It’s just too bad that Aryna gets all the attention, just my opinion. Gag.
Feelings do run high over players.But I rarely liked watching a clay courter on grass and I say that as someone who got onto tennis after watching Borg.
Sabalenka probably appeals to the male fans more
I do understand, Big Al. My dad got me into watching tennis when I was in grade school. He used to say to me, get in here, kid, and watch this Nasty Nastase with me. And we always watched Wimbledon and US Open. I loved Borg and Angry Mac. I had no idea there were two other GS!
We all have our personal reasons for liking or disliking players and its hard to understand sometimes .
Back to the brackets I still cant decide betweeen Vekic and Kudermetova going far!
I surmise Cart Horse is Fritz- he does have a rather awkward upright way of moving
So who did you guys go with in the end?
Yes Fritz = the Cart Horse..😀
Hello, Amy,
Indeed, Cart-horse is the perfect name for Fritz. Iga is humble and describes her play genuinely.
Now I need to leave to make a 9 am appointment! I’m lucky to catch Iga’s match with the time for the roof closing.
Yes, I can say that I looked at all the brackets picks, and I’m happy to see some missing names back in the game. Cami, by now, I consider Cami a regular.
Hello dear friend, Mira Andi. So nice to see you in the Wimbledon bracket; I thought/hoped you might surface! 🙏😊:D
I want to answer for everyone, but I’ll take a respectful note and give you my own.
Novak Djokovic – I chickened out and returned to him after having Holger Rune for at least 24 hours.
True to my word, I picked Petra Kvitova.
If there is traffic, I might be late, so see you later 😀 Have a peaceful day, if possible.
I think I went for Vekic over Kudermetova in the end .
Iga over Sabalenka in the final .
In the men’s Djoko over Charlie
and had a couple dark horses going far,Korda and RBA
Hey hey hey dear friend RC!!…heh heh heh…glad to be back too!😀
I still not check my bracket RC!..donno what’s it like!..get kicked @ kicking!😅..i filled it in a hurry RC!(we’re celebrating eidul adha)i’m not surprised u guys kick my backside very hard this time!hehe..anywy..i better go check!….zzzzoooooommmmmm!!!!
Yup!…under yor guys foot atm!…hehehe🤣🤣🤣
Nope. It’s early doors, as Petchy would say. Petchy is a terrible commie, and his sayings get stuck in my head! There is very little separating the entire group. Wait until the end of the week, oh, but you won’t. That’s right; you love seeing me in red!
I will leave you a note on the non-tennis forum tomorrow. Right now, I’m suffering from driving in traffic. 😥😙
Up early again, I see.
“That’s right; you love seeing me in red!”
Hahaha…nah!!..ohh…r u shock Coco lost early RC?She always play good on grass in the past right?
Rune isn’t going to win Elizabeth!!
I thought you had Petra over Saba Al?
Really honestly the BBC coverage of wimby is appalling. Inverdale, Castle and very strange choices on tv with iPlayer not working…
Changed my mind, Petra has a tough enough draw with Ostapenko etc. at her age.
I see Eurosport are doing coverage but not live… even the Beeb is better this time.
Picked Iga to win , I do like her , but havent seen much of her game in detail or how it translates to grass.
My favourite womens player is actually Keys.
Keys was great in Eastbourne. Reminded me of when she won it before!! I don’t know why she has been so extremely erratic.
Novak is making very heavy weather of this match…
Watching Gauff v Kenin. Gauff’s forehand keeps ending in the net. Think Amy has mentioned it as a weakness before. Kenin winning in 3rd at the mo.
Gauff’s serve keeping her in but two doubles in this crucial game.
5-3 Kenin to serve for the match.5-2
And Kenin wins.
Hi Margot,
Yes I have mentioned it as a weakness. I did say on the previous WTA thread that this match could go to Kenin.
Remember how she played against Saba in Rome?
I really hope she can back it up.
After beating Saba in Rome she lost next round. Hope that doesn’t happen again but it would not be surprising if it did.
Big Al,
Your bracket is similar to mine. We both took Vekic. Vekic is prettier than she, who I shun. You are a better judge of sexy. All my life, I get called the ‘girl next door.’ That is fine with me.
Oh lord, Kenin is about to break Gauf! Kenin is back, and she is a stone-cold, serious competitor. The surprise attack on Coco and I have Coco deep in my bracket.
Iga Swiatek, take note!!
Nice to see her back. But she can come out of nowhere and wipe out a bracket! 😀
Very happy Elina won!
Elizabeth I did say she could beat Coco..!!!
In the mens I picked Mcdonald over Bublik , 50/50 to me couldnt decide . FAA out injured .
Yeah Coco seemed to be playing well on grass but then got hammered in her previous match.
She beat Pegula who is completely out of form. Got destroyed by Alexandrova 6-3 6-0 the week before. The Alexandrova result was the one which meant more.
Besides, Kenin is a grand slam champion who also reached the RG final.
Gauff’s fh is a big liability.
So annoying Hanfman didn’t takehis chances in the fourth set to boot out the Cart Horse.
I missed the Cart-Horse match. (oh, snap)
It’s always a long day when I do errands. But I was home in time to see Kenin win.
Amy, I need you in the bracket(s). You could join with a pseudo and bring a pseudo with you. 😀
B/c I want more bracketeers! Back in the time when I started posting on TX, I knew nothing about the WTA. Having no luck picking just one, I would do at least two brackets and try to be anonymous. But I couldn’t fool Mira Andi. Margot gave me helpful hints, like picking the names ending in OVA. That did help.
Anyway, amy, with your knowledge and enthusiasm, I have to ask again.:D
Elizabeth my health still isn’t good! Don’t have enough brain energy to fill in brackets!
Besides it’s difficult to go with your gut when picking.
I thought Kenin would beat Gauff. But would I have had the guts to pick her? Don’t know. There’s a fine line between good judgement and looking like a moron!😀😀
I remember that Elizabeth! Still good advice as in Syn, Kurd, Much, Stryk, Kiv and many more!