Despite a poor showing at the French Open, Serena Williams will win at Wimbledon, let me tell you why...
The Tournament
The third Grand Slam event of the year, but the one that everyone wants to win, Wimbledon is the culmination of the very short WTA grass court season.
Martina Navratilova holds the record of nine women’s singles titles, including an incredible six in a row between 1982 and 1987. The 2012 champion Serena Williams is the closest current player to Navratilova’s record, with five titles.
The Green, Green Grass of SW19
Grass is the fastest of the surfaces used in professional tennis and that speed, combined with the low bounce, has traditionally favoured serve-volleyers and disadvantaged those who like to trade blows from back of the court.
But changes to the grass and soil used at Wimbledon in 2001 resulted in a slower surface, with a higher bounce and the dominance of the serve-volley style has now passed.
Who To Avoid
Maria Sharapova has shown tremendous courage and resilience this year in battling her way back from a shoulder injury to return to the top five and claim a second French Open title.
If it weren’t for the presence of Serena Williams in the Wimbledon draw, Sharapova would be the clear favourite, but she has lost her last fifteen encounters with the American, a losing run that stretches back to 2004.
You can’t ignore a record like that and it makes Sharapova hard to back at 4/1.
Recommended Bets
Serena Williams crashed out of the French Open at the second round stage, but that defeat will make her an even tougher proposition at Wimbledon and she is a solid bet to win a sixth title.
She remains the best player on the WTA Tour and boasts dominant winning records against all of her main rivals.
Count on her at 11/8.
After reaching the Wimbledon final last year, Sabine Lisicki didn’t really build on her success and was last seen exiting the French Open at the second round stage. But her record shows she improves significantly on grass, where her booming serve is a formidable weapon. She’s managed two quarter-finals, a semi-final and a final at Wimbledon in the last five years and offers good each way value for punters at 20/1.
At the same price, it is also worth considering Serena Williams’ Paris conqueror, Garbine Muguruza. Although Williams was below par that day, Muguruza showed it was no fluke by pushing Maria Sharapova hard in the quarter-finals.
Unlike many of her countrywomen her game is based on aggression rather than defence, which should serve her well on grass, and she has a potent serve to go with her solid ground strokes. Back her each way at 20/1.
The Tournament
The third Grand Slam event of the year, but the one that everyone wants to win, Wimbledon is the culmination of the very short WTA grass court season.
Martina Navratilova holds the record of nine women’s singles titles, including an incredible six in a row between 1982 and 1987. The 2012 champion Serena Williams is the closest current player to Navratilova’s record, with five titles.
The Green, Green Grass of SW19
Grass is the fastest of the surfaces used in professional tennis and that speed, combined with the low bounce, has traditionally favoured serve-volleyers and disadvantaged those who like to trade blows from back of the court.
But changes to the grass and soil used at Wimbledon in 2001 resulted in a slower surface, with a higher bounce and the dominance of the serve-volley style has now passed.
Who To Avoid
Maria Sharapova has shown tremendous courage and resilience this year in battling her way back from a shoulder injury to return to the top five and claim a second French Open title.
If it weren’t for the presence of Serena Williams in the Wimbledon draw, Sharapova would be the clear favourite, but she has lost her last fifteen encounters with the American, a losing run that stretches back to 2004.
You can’t ignore a record like that and it makes Sharapova hard to back at 4/1.
Recommended Bets
Serena Williams crashed out of the French Open at the second round stage, but that defeat will make her an even tougher proposition at Wimbledon and she is a solid bet to win a sixth title.
She remains the best player on the WTA Tour and boasts dominant winning records against all of her main rivals.
It is worth remembering that the last time she suffered an early exit at Roland Garros, in 2012, she blasted a record number of aces on the way to a fifth Wimbledon title.""
Count on her at 11/8.
After reaching the Wimbledon final last year, Sabine Lisicki didn’t really build on her success and was last seen exiting the French Open at the second round stage. But her record shows she improves significantly on grass, where her booming serve is a formidable weapon. She’s managed two quarter-finals, a semi-final and a final at Wimbledon in the last five years and offers good each way value for punters at 20/1.
At the same price, it is also worth considering Serena Williams’ Paris conqueror, Garbine Muguruza. Although Williams was below par that day, Muguruza showed it was no fluke by pushing Maria Sharapova hard in the quarter-finals.
Unlike many of her countrywomen her game is based on aggression rather than defence, which should serve her well on grass, and she has a potent serve to go with her solid ground strokes. Back her each way at 20/1.