Wimbledon 2023: 3 dark horses for the women's singles title ft. Petra Kvitova 

Petra Kvitova is one of only two active players to have lifted Wimbledon's famed Venus Rosewater Dish on more occasions than one. The other player, in true poetic fashion, shares her name with the trophy — Venus Williams.

And luckily for fans, both players will feature at this year's tournament alongside a host of hopefuls. These names, some more dangerous than others on the lush lawns of the All England Club, will all be eyeing a chance to dethrone reigning champion Elena Rybakina in pursuit of their own Grand Slam breakthroughs.

Here, we have listed three major darkhorses who could shake things up in this year's Wimbledon women's singles competition.

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#3. Jelena Ostapenko

Jelena Ostapenko at the 2022 Championships.

Jelena Ostapenko has not lost a completed match on grass this season, having gone 7-0 before being forced to retire agianst Camila Giorgi at Eastbourne - a tournament that she had won in 2021 and reached the final in 2022.

Those results alone are testimony to the Latvian's prowess as a grasscourt player. Throw in the mix her big-hitting abilities and serving numbers (she's No. 13 in the ace leaderboard) and you have yourself a formidable opponent.

Ostapenko's Wimbledon results, though not as flashy as at the French Open, have been consistent. The 15-7 (68%) win-loss record is her best at Slams and she has made the second week thrice. Provided that she gets the required rest after her busy grass swing, the Latvian will be a name that most players would want to avoid playing at SW19.

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#2. Petra Kvtiova

Petra Kvitova at the 2019 Championships.

If stats were the sole indicator, Petra Kvitova would walk away with the Venus Rosewater Dish hands down. Her six grasscourt titles are the most by any active player and her 74.5% win percentage on the surface is second only to Venus Williams.

Coming into this year's tournament, the Czech has not lost a match on grass. In fact, she blazed the field in Berlin without dropping a set en-route to her 31st career title - making quick work of even former Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova and top-5 player Carolina Garcia.

For Kvitova, the key at Wimbledon lies in mentality. Form has rarely meant anything for the Czech over the course of her illustrious career. When playing sans pressure, a free-swinging Kvitova is grasscourt bliss.

How well she serves will play a big role in her results as that is one weapon that lifts her entire game. Keep an eye out for her early matches as if she can find her best form, Kvitova will be hard to stop.

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#1. Karolina Muchova

Karolina Muchova at the 2022 Championships.

Before her run to the French Open final and even the last-four in Melbourne, Wimbledon was Karolina Muchova's happy place. The Czech has played Wimbledon thrice, and made the quarterfinals in two of those occasions.

Her complete all-court game is tailor-made for grass. Muchova serves well, can mix the spin on the ball and likes to come into the net. All those attributes make her an extremely tricky opponent to play on grass — a surface that rewards variety.

Muchova will have plenty of good memories to draw from when she steps out on court at the All England Club. There is a bit of a question mark about match practice on the surface, but the fact that she made the last-eight on her main draw debut sgould wipe away most concerns.

A rematch of the French Open semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka is on the cards for Muchova in the fourth round. She has a few other big hitters looming in her section, but her crafty brand of tennis has answered these questions well in the past and there is no reason why Muchova can't add to her recent heroics at SW19.