For all her achievements over the previous couple of seasons, Iga Swiatek stays largely unproven on grass courts.
However the world No.1 can have a golden alternative to assert a maiden Wimbledon title together with her rivals hampered by accidents and sickness.
The five-times main champion has been an unstoppable pressure since inheriting the highest rating following Ash Barty’s retirement in 2022, however not one of the 22 titles in her cupboard have come on the game’s slickest floor.
Recent from her fourth French Open title, and amid a 19-match successful streak stretching again to Might, the 23-year-old will head to the All England Membership primed to go previous the quarter-finals for the primary time.
Swiatek should adapt shortly to her least-favourite floor after selecting to skip tune-up occasions and keep contemporary for the yr’s third grand slam.
The destiny of a number of fancied gamers seems to have justified her determination.
Defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova sustained an harm after slipping throughout a match finally week’s Berlin Open, whereas Australian Open winner and world No.3 Aryna Sabalenka retired from the identical event with a shoulder downside.
Ons Jabeur’s marketing campaign in Germany was minimize brief as a consequence of sickness, and final yr’s Wimbledon runner-up was joined within the sick bay by 2022 champion Elena Rybakina – leaving Coco Gauff as the one different prime contender having fun with an incident-free run.
“I had these concepts, like doing a pre-season on grass so I can learn to play there,” Swiatek mentioned shortly after her Roland Garros triumph.
“Final yr’s end result was fairly good. I really feel like yearly it is simpler for me to adapt to grass.
“The largest progress I could make on grass now could be utilizing my serves that had been higher but in addition I do not anticipate lots.
“The balls are completely different. General tennis is completely different on grass. I will simply see and I will work exhausting to play higher there.”
Sabalenka had reached not less than the semi-finals of six grand slams going again to 2022 earlier than the ailing Belarusian was crushed within the final eight at Roland Garros.
She is going to symbolize an enormous risk to Swiatek if absolutely match.
One of many few gamers on the WTA tour who can match Sabalenka’s large hitting is Rybakina, and the Moscow-born Kazakh will welcome a return to the venue of her biggest triumph as she bids for a second grand slam title.
Jabeur will proceed her quest to change into the primary Arab and African girl to assert a maiden main however conceded in Paris that US Open champion Gauff was rising because the most certainly to hitch Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina in a ladies’s ‘large 4’.
Gauff, who has not crossed the fourth spherical at Wimbledon, is one other participant eyeing a breakthrough on the July 1-14 main.
She warmed up with a run to the Berlin semis, the place she misplaced to fellow American and eventual champion Jessica Pegula.
Native favorite and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been handed a wildcard, with British hopes additionally resting on the shoulders of Katie Boulter – the companion of Ausasie favorite Alex de Minaur – who efficiently defended her Nottingham title this month.