The Wimbledon Championships represent the brief but brilliant explosion of activity in the grass season, a part of the tennis calendar which lasts barely more than a single month. Players who had just won on clay will face a challenge in trying to carry their play over to grass, but some have managed that transition before and new ones will try to do the same this year. Other players either didn’t play on clay or didn’t play well on the surface and now have a fresh start on grass. Here are some WTA players with varying reasons to be confident as they head into Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.
Petra Kvitova
There is no better story in tennis than Kvitova, who spent several months recuperating from a knife attack which was part of a home invasion. Lucky to be alive, Kvitova’s hand was not severely damaged, thereby preserving her career. She was so good in the Birmingham WTA tournament that she was able to win the whole thing, coming back from a one-set deficit to beat Ashleigh Barty in the final. Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion, and since she had been away from the tour for several months, she has not been worn down the way other WTA players have been. She should be relatively fresh for Wimbledon, although her stamina and her level of sharpness will still be tested by the WTA’s best. Nevertheless, Kvitova has to be considered a legitimate contender for the title, which in itself is a remarkable story to absorb.
Kvitova has had a good start to the grass part of the season as she’s won all five of her grass-court matches so far.
Jelena Ostapenko
The French Open champion is a Wimbledon junior champion from years past, so grass is a surface on which she is very comfortable. Her low center of gravity and her aggressive game are very compatible with grass tennis. Her youth will work against her, but heading into Wimbledon, she has no reason to worry about her game. It was good enough to blast her way past several high-quality WTA players in Paris. There is obviously a high degree of probability that she won’t win consecutive majors – that would be a stunning result – but Ostapenko is hitting the ball freely. She is still young enough that she might not feel the full burden of pressure at Wimbledon.
It’s worth keeping in mind that Ostapenko was just 4-4 on grass last season and 1-1 the year before.
Ashleigh Barty
The final of Birmingham this past Sunday involved two inspiring stories, not just one. Kvitova’s story was the more dramatic one because of the trauma she went through – nearly losing her life – but Barty does not have an ordinary story. She stepped away from tennis to try her hand at cricket. She liked the experience, but something called her back to tennis, and she seems to have refreshed herself such that tennis doesn’t feel as much of a chore as it once did. Barty’s run to the final represents the best singles tournament she has had in quite some time. Still in her early 20s, she has even more time to develop her game, but it seems clear that she is finally moving in the right direction. She is an up and comer who will be expected to win at least two matches at Wimbledon, barring a very unlucky draw.
Karolina Pliskova
The ability to overcome a 4-1 deficit against two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in Thursday’s Eastbourne quarterfinals helped Pliskova advance to Friday’s semifinals, but beyond that, Pliskova is simply a tougher player these days. She made the French Open semifinals on clay, her worst surface. She was the only WTA player to make the semifinals of both Indian Wells and Miami. She is enjoying an excellent season and is rightly seen as a leading favorite to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon.
Pliskova has had a good start to the grass court season as she’s 4-0 so far. That’s an improvement over last year when she was 10-3. On the year, she’s 34-9 in her main tour draw matches and she should have a good run at Wimbledon.
Click here to bet on tennis – including all of the major grand slams this season – and many other sports at BetDSI!
