Every year is the same. Wimbledon arrives and I am remiss to just do what every other plucky Brit does and enjoy two weeks of grass court tennis. No, I have to delve into the numbers, make some outlandish picks, and then hate myself when the finals weekend arrives and all my favourites flew home before the Middle Sunday (RIP Manic Monday).
So yes, I’m that friend who tries to tell you I haven’t put that much effort into my Wimbledon picks, when in reality I’ve been thinking about them since Carlitos hit that running FHDTL winner back on June 8. Let’s start with the women though, as—let’s be real—they are delivering at the moment. (For Sincaraz and more, see Men's Edition)
My Champion: Aryna Sabalenka. If you read my preface, you’ll see I said I made outlandish picks, so what better way to unveil my true British appeal, than by being a true hypocrite and extremely contradictory. I simply cannot see past the world number one this fortnight, and barring any major catastrophe, I see her holding the Venus Rosewater dish come July 12. Her coach, Anton Dubrov, has done a brilliant job in adding variety to her game, in particular the dropper off the forehand. I think Jason Stacey has not only developed her physicality off the charts, but really helped in keeping a lid on her frustrations (…most of the time). The only player that could stop her is Coco Gauff, but I don’t see her being able to navigate her way through a draw on the quicker courts whilst her forehand is getting wester by the day.
First Flight Home: Emma Navarro. Now forgive my directness, but I wanted to distinguish a top-20 player I could see heading to the exit sign pretty swiftly. Having played so well here last year, and having a game that is pretty well-suited to grass, this season has not been it for Navarro. She has no glaring weaknesses, but I do think her ball speed has dropped a bit this year, and the sophomore years are notoriously tough on tour for those who have breakthroughs. If she gets a few wins, though, keep an eye out; I do think a confidence boost could be all she needs.
The Arrival Of: Iva Jovic. Fresh off a 125k title in Ilkley (lovely spot of the world?), this teenager is good. She’s not the tallest or the strongest, but she’s extremely technical and very tactically astute. Look out for her on the lawns; she’s due a big breakthrough and it could very well be here.
The Lurker: Tatjana Maria. Inject that FH slice into my veins. (Which is something not one player in that draw will be thinking if they come up against the grass court titan.) Winning the 500 back at Queen’s (how good was it to see women’s tennis back there?!) really demonstrated how much difficulty these top women have in dealing with slice and variety. She not only went from qualies to the title, but also brought three top-20 players to their knees en route (Anisimova quite literally in that final). A former SFist at Wimbledon, this player is certainly one to keep your eye on.
The Dark Horse: Diana Shnaider. Similar to Maria, these top players also do not like lefties. If our favourite bandana-wearing leftie can develop some rhythm, don’t be surprised to see her hanging around in week two. I think she’s still a bit green, but maybe the green grass will help her navigate her way through this draw.
Home Hope: Emma Raducanu. I appreciate there’s a bit of an injury cloud here, but if we’re looking at upside and potential, Emma is far and away the best hope the Brits have. Defending R4 points from last year, it wouldn’t be a shock if she matched it again this year. With coach Mark Petchey on board, she’s doing a great job at breaking the tramlines with that forehand, although I’d still like it flattened out a little bit more. But as I’ve said, with the upside, potential and that British cross behind her, are we turning into Raducanation?
Peter Clegg is a former world-class badminton player (and a less-than-world-class tennis player) who most appreciates the relentless weekly grind, the one-on-one battles, and the global footprint that makes tennis truly unique.
