Wimbledon 2021: Serena Williams' projected path to the final

Serena Williams will have another shot at winning a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday. The seven-time Wimbledon champion, seeded sixth this year, finds herself in the top half of the draw.

The 39-year-old American last won a Grand Slam in 2017 (Australian Open) and has since made four appearances in finals, including two at Wimbledon (2018 & 2019).

Full ladies' singles draw at Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/prqbGc2GW3

— George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) June 25, 2021

She has not played on grass this year and it remains to be seen if a lack of match practice will adversely impact her prospects.

On that note, let's take a look at how Williams' draw at Wimbledon could unfold.

Serena Williams' 1st round opponent - Aliaksandra Sasnovich

First up for Serena Williams will be World No. 100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The two have never faced each other on tour before.

Sasnovich enters the Championships in poor form, having lost in the first round in Berlin. She also failed to make it past the second round at Roland Garros and is thus unlikely to pose a major threat to Williams.

Serena Williams' 2nd round opponent - Nao Hibino / Bernarda Pera

If she comes through the opening round, Williams will face either Nao Hibino or Bernarda Pera in the second. Hibino and Pera are yet to make the second round at Wimbledon, but one of them will do so this time around.

Hibino advanced to the second round at Roland Garros this year and has since lost three consecutive matches on the WTA and ITF tours on grass.

Pera, meanwhile, lost in the first round at Roland Garros as well as at Eastbourne. Everything points to a comfortable win for Williams.

Serena Williams' likely 3rd round opponent - Angelique Kerber

Angelique Kerber

Williams' first real test at Wimbledon will come against 2018 champion and 2016 runner-up Angelique Kerber.

Kerber lost the 2016 Wimbledon final to Williams, but got the better of the American two years later to lift her maiden grasscourt Major. The German also defeated Williams in the final of the 2016 Australian Open.

At the time of writing, Kerber is into the semifinals of the Bad Homburg Open, meaning she will head to Wimbledon with a good amount of match practice. The 25th seed could make life very difficult for Williams, given that the American has had no preparation on grass ahead of the Major.

Serena Williams' likely 4th round opponent - Coco Gauff / Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic

Should Serena Williams advance to the fourth round, she could face Coco Gauff or Belinda Bencic. Williams has defeated Bencic twice in three meetings, but is yet to cross swords with Gauff.

Bencic finished as the runner-up in Berlin and, given her prowess on grass, she is a dangerous opponent for anyone at Wimbledon.

Former Wimbledon semifinalist Elena Vesnina also finds herself in the mix in this section of the draw.

Serena Williams' likely quarterfinal opponent - Elina Svitolina / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova / Karolina Muchova

Elina Svitolina

2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina is the third seed this year and could be Serena Williams' potential quarterfinal opponent. Williams owns a 5-1 head-to-head advantage against the Ukrainian and has never lost to her outside of the Olympics (2016).

Williams has beaten Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in each of their six meetings and defeated Karolina Muchova in their only previous clash.

Serena Williams' likely semifinal opponent - Ashleigh Barty / Victoria Azarenka / Barbora Krejcikova

Ash Barty and Serena Williams in the same half @Wimbledon - would be a semi-final should they meet

— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) June 25, 2021

Serena Williams will face a battle to make it to the final given the number of quality players in her half of the draw. If the American advances to the last four, she could face one of Ashleigh Barty, Victoria Azarenka, or Barbora Krejcikova.

Barty has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon in singles but is a former runner-up in doubles. Azarenka, meanwhile, is a two-time semifinalist (2011 and 2012) at the Championships but has made it past the fourth round only once since 2012.

Krejcikova has never made it past the first round at Wimbledon in singles but is a former doubles champion at the All England Club (2018). She will be buoyed by her recent Roland Garros triumph and cannot be written off.

Serena Williams' likely opponent in the final - Petra Kvitova / Garbine Muguruza / Aryna Sabalenka

Garbine Muguruza

Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza or Aryna Sabalenka could potentially be the last woman standing between Williams and a 24th Grand Slam title.

Two-time champion Kvitova made the semifinals at the Bad Homburg Open to gain some much-needed momentum ahead of Wimbledon. Williams owns a 5-2 head-to-head advantage against the Czech, including two victories at Wimbledon (2010 and 2011).

However, Kvitova has won their two most recent encounters and has not lost to the American since 2014. On the flip side, the hard-hitting southpaw has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon since she won the title in 2014.

2017 champion Garbine Muguruza, meanwhile, has won three out of six meetings with Williams, including their two most recent encounters.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka can also never be discounted. The Belarusian has never been beyond the second round at Wimbledon, but if she finds her range on her groundstrokes, she can be a hard player to stop.

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Prediction: Serena Williams heads to Wimbledon with no grasscourt matches under her belt. She is unlikely to face much of a challenge until a potential third-round meeting with Angelique Kerber. If Williams can survive that test, she will fancy her chances of going all the way to the finals.