Wimbledon 2019: Five women to watch at the All England Club
The last 10 Grand Slams have seen nine different female winners, proving that the sport is more open than ever before. Who will win the Wimbledon title?
The 126th edition of the women's singles is upon us and it promises to be another highly-competitive tournament.
Ashleigh Barty
Barty won her maiden Grand Slam at the French Open
The Australian's ascent to the top of the game culminated in her winning the French Open earlier this month and her results this year on all surfaces make her the player to beat.
She is a former Wimbledon junior champion and has won other titles on grass, including the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham which took her to No 1.
She will be a real threat as she looks to post back-to-back Grand-Slam titles.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka has won two Grand Slam titles but has not done so well at Wimbledon
Born in Osaka to father Leonard Francois, from Haiti, and mother Tamaki Osaka, the Japanese player is the only woman to have won more than one Grand Slam in the last 10.
She has been triumphant at the 2018 US Open and Australian Open this year.
She is one of the hottest properties in the game and aged 21, with a big selection of weapons at her disposal, has many more years of success ahead of her.
Osaka poses with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after winning the Australian Open earlier this year
What marks the great champions is not just their remarkable abilities with a racket but the way they are motivated both by successes and disappointments, and there appears no doubt Osaka has that.
This will be the third time Osaka has played at the All England Club, having won two matches on both her previous visits.
Simona Halep
Simona Halep's form has dipped in recent months. Can she regain it in time for Wimbledon?
After being the most consistent player on tour for a good 18 months, Halep's form has dipped since she finally ended her wait for a Grand Slam at the French Open last year.
She has failed to get past the quarter-finals of her last four major tournaments, but she will still be a contender at Wimbledon, where she can boast two quarter-final and one semi-final appearance.
Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber will be defending her Wimbledon title
Kerber, a losing finalist in 2016, went one better last year by lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish with a demolition of Serena Williams in the final.
Results since then have been patchy, but she has a special relationship with the All England Club and because of her tenacity and superb defensive skills, she will be in the mix for a second title.
Serena Williams
Can Serena Williams do the unthinkable and win Wimbledon for an eighth time?
It would simply not be possible to compile a list of contenders and exclude arguably the greatest player of all time.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner has won seven of those at Wimbledon and was a beaten finalist in 2018 in her second major tournament back after giving birth.
She may be 37 and struggling with niggling injuries, but she will still be a major force.
