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With Wimbledon main-draw action less that 48 hours away, players are all focussed on last-minute fixes. Reigning champion Elena Rybakina will be back at the All England Club, as will the top seed Iga Swiatek and a host of other big names.
Besides Rybakina, only Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams have lifted the Championships crown from this year's roster. That said, there is no dearth of title hopefuls, some of whom are bigger threats on the lush lawns than others.
Here, we take a look at the top eight contenders for the title based on their grasscourt performances over the last three years.
Note: The following formula was used to calculate the power rankings for this year's Wimbledon: (1x points earned in the 2023 grass season+ 0.75x points earned in the 2022 grass season + 0.25x points earned in the 2021 grass season).
#8 Donna Vekic
Her poor 6-8 win-loss record at Wimbledon notwithstanding, Donna Vekic is a grasscourt player at heart. Some of her early career breakthroughs have come on the surface in the form of a Birmingham final in 2013 and a title at Nottingham in 2017.
Over the last couple of years, she made the quarters twice at Birmingham, before upping the graph in 2023. It took an on-song Petra Kvitova to stop the Croat's giant-killing spree en route to the Berlin final — which included a win over reigning Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina.
#7 Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka is another player who has underperformed at Wimbledon for most part of her career. The Belarusian changed that in 2021, reaching her first Slam semifinal at the All England Club.
And while Sabalenka could not compete at the Championships last year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, her performances away from the venue — including her final appearance at the Rosmalen Open last year — were enough to secure her a spot in the power rankings.
#6 Karolina Pliskova
On the opposite spectrum from her predecessors on the list, Karolina Pliskova has done relatively well at Wimbledon in recent years irrespective of the form that she came into the tournament with.
Her run to the 2021 final — her sole claim to a spot in the power rankings — is a testament to just that. The Czech had fallen early at both Melbourne and Paris, while also bowing out in her first round of the only grasscourt tournament she played that year — Eastbourne. And yet, she ousted the likes of Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur at SW19 before falling just short against Ashleigh Barty in the final.
Forgettable outing at the two Slams this year and a first-round exit in Berlin may just augur well for Pliskova then?
#5 Jelena Ostapenko
Wimbledon aside, Jelena Ostapenko has won or reached the final at three of her last four grasscourt tournaments.
The incredible run began at Eastbourne in 2021, where she reigned supreme. The Latvian followed that up with another final showing at the tournament 12 months later and a trophy in Birmingham this year. Her powerful baseline hitting works like a dream on the quick grasscourts and no player wishes to be at the receiving end.
#4 Ekaterina Alexandrova
Grand Slams and Wimbledon, in particular, have not been a happy hunting ground for Ekaterina Alexandrova. One would imagine the big-hitting Russian would boast of a better career-best result than two second-round showings at SW19, but sadly that is not the case.
Look elsewhere though and her being ranked this high on the power rankings will hardly come as a surprise. Consecutive titles at Rosmalen and a semifinal in Berlin this year make her the player with most match wins on the surface — away from Wimbledon — in the period. If she can put aside the Grand Slam mental block, 2023 could a big year for her.
#3 Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova's numbers on grass speak for themselves. No other active player has won more grasscourt titles than the two-time Wimbledon champion and her win percentage, 74.5%, is second only to Venus Williams.
In the last two years, Kvitova has lifted the trophies at Eastbourne and Berlin — cementing her place among the top names on the power rankings. Her results at the actual Slam, however, leave a lot to be desired.
The flat-hitting Czech did mention coming into Wimbledon she isn't expecting a lot. Taking that sort of pressure away from her game might just be what she needs to bring out her best tennis at a venue where she has had the best results of her career.
#2 Elena Rybakina
Prior to Wimbledon last year, one could still describe Elena Rybakina as someone who had enjoyed modest success on grass.
The run at the All England Club only made the tennis world take notice of the striking features of her game — an unassailable serve, pacy flat backhand and nerves of steel — even more. These smaller elements put together, and the 2,000 Grand Slam points, put her the nearest to the summit on the power rankings.
#1 Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur's form might fail to inspire confidence in her prospects this year. The one thing that she does have going her way though is recent history.
A runner-up 12 months ago, Jabeur has won plenty and has won big on grass. Besides the Wimbledon plate, she also has trophies to show for from Berlin and Birmingham in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
The Tunisian's best chance for a Wimbledon trophy may have already passed her by, but she did not get to the top of the women's game without grit, and the future may hold another surprise shot or two. Her variety puts her at an advantage in just about any match-up on grass, and if nothing else, Jabeur at least has math on her side.
