Play begins Monday at the All England Club. Here’s a look at the best bets to come out on top in singles.
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1. ROGER FEDERER
Age: 23
Ranked/seeded: 1/1
Defending champion not only won at Halle but looked very sharp and took the week off before Wimbledon as well. He’ll be well rested and confident and, apparently, not in a funk after his loss to Rafael Nadal in the French Open semis. He’s won 29 straight on grass. Any questions?
ODDS: 2-1
2. ANDY RODDICK
Age: 22
Ranked/seeded: 4/2
Anything less than a final is going to leave last year’s runner-up open to a lot of questions about whether he’s peaked at age 22. There’s danger in the second round against Ivo Karlovic, but Roddick comes in on a tournament high after beating Karlovic 7-6, 7-6 in the Queens Club final, repulsing big server Mark Philippoussis along the way. His key to a title is not his serve. We know he can serve. It’s his returns, and they looked much better at times at Queens.
ODDS: 2 1/2-1
3. LLEYTON HEWITT
Age: 24
Ranked/seeded: 2/3
The 2002 winner is back from injury and looked periodically sharp at Queens, his only prelude to Wimbledon. His practice sessions will get him closer to the sharpness he needs to win, but he doesn’t have the muscle to get past Federer and/or Roddick. He’s praying for a fortnight of great weather, which will give him higher bounces and more chances.
ODDS: 5 -1
4. IVO KARLOVIC
Age: 26
Ranked/seeded: 59/unseeded
Croatian has lost more than he has won this year, but don’t be fooled. He can look clumsy, but he’s not bad athletically and those long arms take away a lot of passing shots. Fully capable of losing in five tiebreak sets. Word of advice to opponents: Don’t lob.
ODDS: 8 –1
WOMEN
1. JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE
Age: 23
Ranked/seeded: 7/7
No warm-up grass court tournaments for her, and that won’t help. But she needed to rest her body and brings a 24-match winning streak to Wimbledon. She’s so adaptable that she can win on any surface, and her confidence has perhaps never been higher after her amazing comeback from illness this year.
Her backhand down the line, which is effective but not lethal on slower courts, becomes a major weapon on grass.
ODDS: 3-1
2. MARIA SHARAPOVA
Age: 18
Ranked/seeded: 2/2
She stroked and shrieked her way to the title at Birmingham before taking last week off, but she never looked quite like the defending Wimbledon champion, having to go three split-set matches. She’s in her element at Wimbledon with short points and flat strokes, but gut feeling says she’s not going to be as tough to beat as in 2004.
ODDS: 4-1
3. KIM CLIJSTERS
Age: 22
Ranked/seeded: 17/15
It would be only natural to question her fitness level after sitting out a couple of weeks with injury and showing her rust at the French Open. But this is Clijsters, and she’s an exceptional talent. She could easily get through the first week without giving you much of a sense of her potential to win the title. Her quarterfinal match will be the test. Though she’s never won a major, it’s got to happen. She has too much ability.
ODDS: 3 1/2-1
4. SERENA WILLIAMS
Age: 23
Ranked/seeded: 4/4
It’s hard to pick her to win because she’s been out so long. She comes in cold turkey, not having played since May 16. Yes, she can work her way into the tournament by getting through the first week. But when the crunch matches hit by the quarters, she’s going to be an underdog. Her two biggest psychological edges are back-to-back titles and a win over Sharapova at the Australian Open this year. The fear factor, however, is gone.
ODDS: 5-1
