Tennis – Wimbledon women’s preview
The countdown to the 2010 Wimbledon tournament has begun, with competition starting Monday, June 21.
Only a few weeks ago, the women’s final at Roland Garros featured two surprise finalists; Samantha Stosur and Francesca Schiavone. However, the grass courts of Wimbledon are a whole different story. The 2010 Wimbledon is all about the Williams sisters, just like it has been for the past decade.
Last year, the ladies final at Wimbledon was an all Williams affair, with Serena prevailing over her older sister Venus in straight sets. In 2008, it was Venus who defeated Serena in the final in straight sets. The Williams sisters have shown their dominance at this Grand Slam, and it seems that Centre Court has become their own little venue for determining who is better between them. Interestingly, Serena and Venus have both chosen to skip the grass court warm up events. A lack of match practice may hurt them when they arrive in London to compete in the year’s third Grand Slam.
2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova is another contender for this year’s title. Sharapova lost to Li Na in the final at the warm up event in Birmingham, England. Nevertheless, this will give her plenty of confidence heading into Wimbledon.
The Belgians, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, are the two other big names making headlines at this year’s Wimbledon. For Henin, this is the only Grand Slam that she has not yet won. If she can win the championship, she’ll be one of few female players to win all four grand slam titles in her career. Clijsters may win a few rounds, but she isn’t expected to go deep into the draw.
