Grandest Slam is here

Published on:

29 Jun 2015, 12:00 am

Novak, Kvitova aim to defend crown at lush green spaces of SW19 as Wimbledon starts off; Sharapova, Stan, Serena to feature today

MAlE CONTENDERS

Novak Djokovic (28, Serbia)

2015 record: 41-3

Wimbledon record: Two titles (2011, 2014), One Runner up (2013)

For fourth year in a row, Novak is seeded No. 1 at the All England Club. He's reached at least the semifinals each of the past five years. His 28-match winning streak ended with loss to Stan Wawrinka while seeking an elusive French Open which would have been his career grand slam.

Roger Federer (33, Switzerland)

2015 record: 34-6

Wimbledon record: Seven titles (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012), Two Runners up (2008, 2014)

Federer hasn't won a Grand Slam title since his record 17th at Wimbledon in 2012. That allowed Federer to equal Pete Sampras and Willie Renshaw with seven championships at the All England Club. In preparation, Federer won the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, for the eighth time.

Andy Murray (28, Great Britain)

2015 record: 41-6

Wimbledon record: One title (2013), One Runner up (2012)

Andy Murray will always be remembered as the first British man, after Fred Perry, in 77 years to win Wimbledon, beating Djokovic in the 2013 final. The Scott comes into the tournament after winning at the Queen's Club.

Stan Wawrinka (30, Switzerland)

2015 record: 30-9

Wimbledon record: QF (2014)

Coming off his second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, where he beat Djokovic and Federer along the way. Of all the major tournaments, he's had least success at Wimbledon, where he has three first-round exits in the past five years.

Rafael Nadal (29, Spain)

2015 record: 33-11

Wimbledon record: Two titles (2008, 2010) and Three Runners Up (2006, 2007, 2011)

After reaching the final in five consecutive Wimbledons, including a pair of titles, has failed to get past the fourth round in any of the past three years. At Stuttgart, Nadal won first grass-court title since 2010, but lost at Queen's Club.

FEMAlE CONTENDERS

Serena Williams (33, United States)

2015 record: 32-1

Wimbledon record: Five titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012), 2 Runners up (2004, 2008)

Serena is halfway to a true Grand Slam and, as she prefers to see it, three-quarters of the way to a self-styled "Serena Slam," having won the past three major tournaments in a row. Williams hasn't been past the fourth round either of the last two years at the All England Club.

Petra Kvitova (25, Czech Republic)

2015 record: 24-7

Wimbledon record: Two titles (2011, 2014)

left-hander with a big serve and flat forehand consistently produces her best Grand Slam results on the grass at the All England Club, making it to at least the quarterfinals each of the last five years, including two titles.

Maria Sharapova (28, Russia)

2015 record: 29-6

Wimbledon record: One title (2004)

Won her first Grand Slam title as a 17-year-old at the All England Club more than a decade ago. Since then, though, Sharapova has returned to the championship match at the All England Club only once in 10 appearances.

Eugenie Bouchard (21, Canada)

2015 record: 8-13

Wimbledon record: 1 Runner Up (2014)

After making it to at least the semifinals at the first three majors a year ago, including Wimbledon, she’s taken a significant step backward this season. lost 10 of 11 matches in one stretch this year, including a first-round exit at the French Open.