After last year’s Championships were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Wimbledon finally returns in just a week.Simona Halep will bid to defend her title from 2019, while Serena Williams is aiming for her eighth win at the All England Club and a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam.Barbora KrejÄíková’s victory at the French Open was incredibly unexpected and tennis fans can expect more of the same twists and turns at a competition that has seen four different winners in a row.With this in mind, we’ve ranked our top eight favourites for this year’s tournament:
8. Barbora KrejÄíková
The Czech surprised everyone to win her first Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros this year, despite being unseeded.
KrejÄíková showed nerves of steel, saving match points in the semi-final against Maria Sakkari and has now moved up to 15th in the world rankings.
The 25-year-old has never qualified for the main draw of a Wimbledon competition before but has form and confidence on her side at the moment.
7. Elina Svitolina
The world number five lost to eventual winner Simona Halep in the semi-finals back in 2019 but had dropped just one set before that stage.
The Ukrainian has the potential to go further this year, though she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round in Berlin last week.
Yet, with 15 WTA singles titles to her name, Svitolina is still more than capable of beating any player on her day.
6. Coco Gauff
The teenager is enjoying a stellar rise through the rankings this year and has been remarkably consistent for someone still so young.
Still just 17 years old, the American has reached the quarter-finals at the French Open, won in Parma and made it to the semis in Rome at her last three tournaments.
Added to this, the world number 23 appears to be comfortable on grass, having burst onto the scene at the 2019 championships as a 15-year-old.
Gauff beat the likes of Venus Williams that year on her way to the fourth-round and could easily mount a bigger challenge this time around.
5. Petra Kvitová
Kvitová may well be higher on this list had it not been for the freak injury she sustained at the French Open.
The Czech star suffered a tournament-ending ankle problem while taking part in press duties and the extent of the injury is still unclear.
Nonetheless, the 31-year-old is a two-time winner at Wimbledon and loves playing on grass. She’s also scheduled to play at the Bad Homburg Open this week, so appears to be fit enough to compete once again.
4. Garbiñe Muguruza
Muguruza may not have made it beyond the second round in the last two Championships, but she did win the competition in 2017 and reached the final two years before that.
The Spanish star has a game naturally suited to the grass surface, yet it’s her problems with consistency that has let her down.
The 27-year-old made the quarter-finals in Berlin last week, before losing to Alize Cornet in three sets.
The form may not be there leading into the competition, but don’t rule the former world number one out.
3. Serena Williams
Williams remains one Grand Slam win away from equalling Margaret Court’s major record and Wimbledon will most certainly be her best chance to do just that.
A seven-time winner of the tournament, the 39-year-old has reached the final in four of the previous Championships and always seems to find a new gear at the All England Club.
The US star hasn’t played much tennis in 2021 but did reach the fourth-round of Roland-Garros recently, giving her some much needed competitive match practice.
2. Simona Halep
Halep is the defending champion from 2019 and, having reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in four of the last six Championships, has proven herself as one of the finest grass-court players on the surface.
A calf muscle tear kept her out of Roland-Garros, however, and the world number three has chosen to miss the inaugural Bad Homburg Open as she bids to be fit in time for this year’s competition.
1. Ashleigh Barty
The world number one is yet another to have struggled with injuries in recent weeks, having been forced to retire from the French Open in the second round after a problem with her left hip flared up.
While understandably gutted at the time, the Australian stressed that it wasn’t time for “panic stations” and vowed to be fit in time for Wimbledon.
Although the 25-year-old is yet to make it past the fourth round at the All England Club, she was in exceptional form before her injury setback and has a newfound mental resilience that was sometimes lacking in years gone by.
Like Halep, Barty has opted not to play any grass-court tournaments in the build-up to the competition as she focuses on her recovery, but if she arrives fit and healthy then she’ll no doubt be the one to beat this year.