For all her achievements over the last few seasons, Iga Swiatek
remains largely unproven on grass courts, but the Pole will have a golden
opportunity to claim a maiden Wimbledon title with her rivals hampered by
injuries and illness before the Grand Slam.
The five-time major champion has been an unstoppable force since
inheriting the world No. 1 spot following Ash Barty's retirement in 2022,
although none of the 22 titles in her vast cabinet have come on the sport's
slickest surface.
But fresh from her fourth French Open title amid a 19-match
winning streak stretching back to May, the 23-year-old will head to the All
England Club primed to go past the quarterfinals for the first time and prove
herself as an all-court player.
Swiatek will have to adapt quickly to her least favorite surface
after choosing to skip tune-up events and stay fresh for the year's third Grand
Slam.
The fates of several of her top rivals appear to have justified
her decision.
Defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova sustained an
injury after slipping during a match at the Berlin Open while world No. 3 Aryna
Sabalenka also retired from the same tournament last week with a shoulder
problem.
Ons Jabeur's campaign in Germany was also cut short due to
illness while last year's Wimbledon runner-up was joined in the sick bay by
2022 champion Elena Rybakina, leaving Coco Gauff as the only other top
contender enjoying an incident-free run, though all remain the draw.
"I had these ideas, like doing a preseason on grass so I
can learn how to play there. Last year's result was pretty nice. I feel like every
year it's easier for me to adapt to grass," Swiatek had said shortly after
her Roland Garros triumph.
"So I think there's no need to do that. I need to continue
the work that I've been doing.
"The biggest progress I can make on grass now is using my serves
that were better but also I don't expect a lot. The balls are different.
Overall tennis is different on grass. I'll just see and I'll work hard to play
better there."
Huge threat
Sabalenka had reached at least the semifinals of six Grand Slam
tournaments going back to 2022 before the ailing Belarusian was beaten in the
Roland Garros quarterfinals this month, but she will represent a huge threat to
Swiatek if fully fit.
One of the few players on the WTA tour who can match double
Australian Open champion Sabalenka's big hitting is Rybakina and the
Moscow-born Kazakh will welcome a return to the venue of her greatest triumph
as she bids for a second Grand Slam title.
Jabeur will continue her quest to become the first Arab and
African woman to claim a major, but conceded in Paris that U.S. Open champion
Gauff was emerging as the most likely player to join Swiatek, Sabalenka and
Rybakina in a women's Big Four.
"My favorite thing about Coco is her fighting spirit,"
Tunisian Jabeur added. "I think she's playing great tennis right now, but
I saw her playing better before.
"Obviously she's a fighter, she'll always try to find ways,
she's really smart on the court. I definitely see her becoming (a part of) the
Big Four. They have the Big Three now."
Gauff, who has not gone past the fourth round at Wimbledon, is
another player eyeing a breakthrough at the July 1-14 major and warmed up with
a run to the Berlin semis, where she lost to fellow American and eventual
champion Jessica Pegula.
Hoping to flip the script at Wimbledon will be a trio of Grand
Slam champions and former world No. 1s in Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka and
Caroline Wozniacki, who are all in different stages of their comeback from
maternity breaks.
Local favorite and 2021 U.S. Open
champion Emma Raducanu will also be in the mix after similarly being handed a
wildcard, but British hopes will likely rest on the shoulders of Katie Boulter,
who successfully defended her Nottingham title this month.
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