Anyone's game: the field is wide open for SW19 women

Tatjana Maria’s run to the Queen’s title two weeks ago was not just a fairytale. It was also a reminder of the unpredictability of women’s tennis, most of all on grass. On a surface that rewards huge serves and power hitters, Maria’s win was a reminder that slice, craft and guile have their place too.

- FLO CLIFFORD

Is Wimbledon really that much of an outlier among the majors? One fact frequently trotted out is that the last eight Wimbledons have gone the way of eight different players. But that says more about the current era of women's tennis than anything specific to SW19.

For context, of the last eight times the other three slams have been contested, there have been six Australian Open, five French Open, and eight US Open champions. You'd have to go back 11 years to find a repeat winner in New York: Serena Williams, on a run of three titles.

Perhaps it's more that, as Maria showed, a variety of game styles can thrive on the turf. There's an element of the sudden turnaround from clay, too, as the blink-and-you-miss-it threeweek buildup to Wimbledon throws some off-kilter. Whatever the reason, there's always an element of magic in the Wimbledon women's draw. It could be anyone's year.

How to narrow down the contenders? Grass suits the ferocity and pace of Madison Keys' groundstrokes. The 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini has not reached the same heights as last season, but has consolidated her place in the world's top four and reached a doubles final on the grass in Berlin. Elina Svitolina is a consistent force at all majors; Amanda Anisimova has shown repeated flashes of her brilliance this year, including a run to the Queen's final.