By: Howard Fendrich | The Associated Press
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Here are some of the women to watch at Wimbledon, which starts at the All England Club on Monday:
Iga Swiatek
Ranking: 1
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Poland
Age: 23
2024 Record: 45-4
2024 Titles: 5
Career Titles: 22
Grand Slam Titles: 5 — French Open (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), U.S. Open (2022)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-Lost in the Quarterfinals, 2022-Lost in the 3rd Round, 2021-4th, 2019-1st, 2018-Did Not Play
Aces: Has not played since winning the French Open on June 8 for her fifth Grand Slam championship, including four of the past five titles in Paris. … Is now 5-0 in major finals. … Wimbledon is the only major tournament where she has not been to at least the semifinals. … Voted WTA Player of the Year in 2023 for second season in a row; Serena Williams was the last to get that honor consecutively, doing so from 2012-15.
She Said It: “Winning five Slams seems pretty surreal. I would never expect it when I was younger.”
Read All About It: ‘The One Where She Wins Her Fifth Grand Slam’
Coco Gauff
Ranking: 2
Career-Best Ranking: 2
Country: United States
Age: 20
2024 Record: 32-10
2024 Titles: 2
Career Titles: 7
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2023)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-1st, 2022-3rd, 2021-4th, 2019-4th, 2018-DNP
Aces: Has reached at least the semifinals at each of the past three majors. … Won the U.S. Open last year — the first American teenager to triumph there since Serena Williams in 1999. … Won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June, teaming with Katerina Siniakova. … Started working with coach Brad Gilbert after a first-round exit at Wimbledon in 2023.
She Said It: “I’m not going to put a number (on) how many (majors) I want to win. But as many as I can.”
Read All About It: Gauff’s first Slam trophy came at age 19
Aryna Sabalenka
Ranking: 3
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Belarus
Age: 26
2024 Record: 30-9
2024 Titles: 1
Career Titles: 14
Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (2023, 2024)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-SF, 2022-DNP, 2021-SF, 2019-1st, 2018-1st
Aces: A semifinalist each of her past two Wimbledon appearances; was unable to enter the tournament in 2022 because all players from her country were banned after Belarus helped Russia attack Ukraine. … Won the past two Australian Open titles. … Has a record of 54-9 in her last 11 major tournaments. She was 16-14 in her first 14. … Briefly ranked No. 1 last season.
She Said It: “I mean, definitely Grand Slams — that’s the goal for everyone. And definitely, everyone feels the pressure.”
Read All About It: Sabalenka’s first major championship was about persistence
Elena Rybakina
Ranking: 4
Career-Best Ranking: 3
Country: Kazakhstan
Age: 25
2024 Record: 35-7
2024 Titles: 3
Career Titles: 8
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Wimbledon (2022)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-QF, 2022-Won Championship, 2021-4th, 2019-DNP, 2018-DNP
Aces: Won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2022, but did not get the usual rankings bump because no points were awarded by the tours there that year. … Her title defense at the All England Club last year ended in the quarterfinals. … Was the runner-up at the Australian Open in 2023.
She Said It: “I think I can play on all the surfaces. Of course, looking back to the results, grass, I will say, is the favorite, because it’s fast.”
Read All About It: Rybakina’s Wimbledon title came with a muted response
Marketa Vondrousova
Ranking: 6
Career-Best Ranking: 6
Country: Czech Republic
Age: 25 on Friday
2024 Record: 16-10
2024 Titles: Zero
Career Titles: 2
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Wimbledon (2023)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-W, 2022-DNP, 2021-2nd, 2019-1st, 2018-1st
Aces: Has just two tour-level titles so far — but one came at a Grand Slam tournament, Wimbledon last year. … Owned a 1-4 career record at Wimbledon before going 7-0 en route to last year’s championship. … The left-hander has been sidelined for chunks of time because of wrist problems.
She Said It: “On grass, I didn’t play so good, so I would never have thought of (winning Wimbledon).”
Read All About It: Vondrousova is a unique champion
Emma Raducanu
Ranking: 168
Career-Best Ranking: 10
Country: Britain
Age: 21
2024 Record: 13-8
2024 Titles: Zero
Career Titles: 1
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2021)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-DNP, 2022-2nd, 2021-4th, 2019-DNP, 2018-DNP
Aces: A series of injuries — including three operations last year — and frequent coaching changes have made recent seasons tough for the 2021 U.S. Open champion. … Played as well as ever during the Eastbourne grass-court tuneup the week before Wimbledon, including the first win of her career against a member of the top 10, Jessica Pegula. … Certain to get plenty of attention and plenty of support from the home crowds at the All England Club.
She Said It: “I have been going through some stuff, so to come through has been really nice.”
Read All About It: Raducanu was 18 when she became the first qualifier to win a Slam title
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press