Wimbledon 2013: Experts' picks for the women's draw
The tennis experts of Sportskeeda look ahead at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships by making picks for the women’s draw in four categories: dark horse, early exit, dangerous floater, and champion.
1. Dark horse
Petra Kvitova – The dark horse
Haresh Ramchandani: When Petra Kvitova won Wimbledon two years ago, she seemed on her way to bigger and better things. But the Czech woman, rumoured to be now dating Radek Stepanek, has fallen on hard times. Kvitova’s big serve and big groundstrokes are suited for the grass courts at SW 19 and if her game clicks, she can certainly go all the way.
Anand Datla: 2011 champion Petra Kvitova may have slipped down the ladder to 8th in the world, but it is difficult to ignore her chances on grass. If she can find her rhythm through the first week, Kvitova could turn into a formidable opponent.
Roh: Former champion Petra Kvitova fits this bill perfectly, in my opinion.
Varun Jog: The 2011 Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, is the dark horse for me in this year’s edition. She has had a poor last couple of years by her lofty 2011 standards, but cannot be discounted at her favourite Grand Slam. Women’s tennis is all about upsets and is less predictable than the men’s game, which means a couple of favourable results elsewhere will make her task easier. She is also one of the few women who can challenge Serena Williams on a physical level.
Ram Narayanan: It is a little sad that I have to rate the 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova as a dark horse here, instead of considering her as a contender. This talented southpaw looked unplayable two years ago in Wimbledon. But to our disappointment, she could never repeat that kind of performance in the Majors that followed. I just hope she gets her head right this year and regains her lost form. Though, it is not going to be an easy task for anyone to overcome Serena in her current form, the 23-year-old Czech has all the weapons in her repertoire to prevail over anyone on a given day.
Sudeshna Banerjee: Petra Kvitova is unpredictable as ever, but she is the only one who has been able to stamp her name on the Venus Rosewater Dish other than a Williams since 2006. She has enormous raw talent, and her lefty wide serve works to perfection on the grass. If she comes alive, the Czech has a pretty good chance of making the final as she plays Victoria Azarenka tough and knows what it takes to beat Maria Sharapova too at SW19.
Musab Abid: When a WTA player slams four 120mph aces in a single game to save multiple break points, you tend to remember that player for a long time. During her stirring run to the Wimbledon semis in 2011, Sabine Lisicki did exactly that, so it’s never a good idea to count her out on grass. Her ranking may be in free-fall and her confidence at an all-time low, but you know that at Wimbledon, that enormous serve and those cracking groundstrokes can always make plenty of noise.