Women
Ashleigh Barty The popular Australian has not rested on her laurels after her major breakthrough triumph at the French Open. Barty has made a seamless switch from clay to grass, rising to No 1 in the rankings for the first time in her career after victory over Julia Görges in the final of the Birmingham Classic. Wily and inventive, the 23-year-old has an intriguing game and has not allowed her lack of height to stop her developing one of the most dangerous serves around. She has the tools to do some damage on grass.
Naomi Osaka The world No 2 has fallen behind Barty after a recent wobble. A hand injury disrupted her preparations for the French Open, where she survived a couple of scares before losing in the third round, and she says she is still unsure of her footing on grass. Osaka has never made it past the first week at Wimbledon and she struggled in Birmingham. Yet she has a big enough game to frighten the very best at SW19.
Karolina Pliskova The Czech continues to frustrate. She was tipped to go far at the French Open but she went out in the third round after a limp defeat to Petra Martic. She has suffered more since then, losing to her twin Kristyna in the fourth round in Birmingham, and heads to Wimbledon carrying a few bruises. Her big serve commands respect, but otherwise there are few signs the world No 3 is rounded enough to end her wait for a first grand slam.
Kiki Bertens The world No 4 experienced disappointment at the French Open when she was forced to retire from her second-round match because of illness. Bertens had put together a strong run on clay and was fancied to go all the way. Yet she got back on track in ’s-Hertogenbosch, falling just short against the awkward Alison Riske in the final, and is not to be underestimated at Wimbledon after reaching the quarter-finals in 2018.
Angelique Kerber With Petra Kvitova struggling to recover from the arm injury that forced her to miss the French Open and Serena Williams short of fitness after a troubled year, the field looks as open as ever. But before assuming the unpredictability will play into Kerber’s hands, it is worth remembering that the German sometimes struggles to handle pressure. All the same, the former world No 1 reached the final in 2016, losing to the American, and beat Williams in the final last year.
Men
Novak Djokovic The world No 1 went into the French Open bidding to become the first man to hold all four grand slams on two separate occasions, only to lose to Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals. Perhaps a few chinks are appearing in Djokovic’s armour again. His form has been patchy since the Australian Open. But while the 32-year-old has not played any warm-up tournaments on grass, a fifth Wimbledon title beckons if he is physically and mentally ready.
Rafael Nadal Fresh from winning his 12th French Open title, the Spaniard moves off his favoured clay and on to a more testing surface, hoping to move one behind Roger Federer’s record of 20 majors. The stakes are high and although Nadal has not triumphed at Wimbledon since 2010, he was unfortunate to lose to Djokovic in the semis last year. Has a tough draw, though, and losing to Marin Cilic at Hurlingham was not an encouraging sign for the world No 2.
Roger Federer After taking a long sabbatical from clay Federer turned up at Roland Garros for the first time since 2015 and surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals. Admittedly he succumbed to an inevitable defeat by Nadal, but his form in Paris was a reminder that he should not be written off. He limbered up nicely for his favourite tournament by claiming a record 10th title at Halle with a comfortable win over David Goffin in the final.
Dominic Thiem The Austrian won plenty of admirers after beating Djokovic at Roland Garros and going toe-to-toe with Nadal in the final. He left Paris beaten but far from disgraced and should take heart from the way he attacked Nadal during the first two sets of their bout. His first grand slam title is surely not far away. Yet whether it arrives at Wimbledon remains to be seen. The world No 4 boasts no pedigree on grass and has never been past the fourth round at SW19.
And in the doubles …
On the verge of retirement six months ago, now Andy Murray is a man reborn. He returned from hip surgery to claim the doubles title at Queen’s alongside Feliciano López and the 32-year-old has a good chance at Wimbledon after linking up with the excellent Frenchman Pierre Hugues-Herbert. The comeback is going well and while the plan is for Murray to make a singles return soon – possibly at the US Open later this summer – he is enjoying his doubles adventure.
