2010 Wimbledon Women's Draw

Russian Maria Sharapova's legs are pictured as she plays Venus Williams of USA during the fourth round of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, in south London, 04 July 2007 The Wimbledon Women's Draw has a knack for producing upsets, as unheralded players routinely knock out higher ranked adversaries. Despite this, a number of players have managed to establish a stranglehold on the Wimbledon women's draw in the past decade, with the Williams sisters notable for their dominance of the event in the past decade.

Another Williams Year?

A look at the 2010 Wimbledon betting markets show that Serena and Venus Williams occupy the first two places in the betting for the women's draw. Serena is a slight favourite, trading shorter than her elder sister. Both these players deserve their star billing at Wimbledon, given the way they have dominated the tournament in recent years, however, one could question if they will triumph again in 2010.

While Serena Williams cruised to the Australian Open title earlier in the year, she's been rather quiet ahead of Wimbledon. Whether she's struggling to maintain her hunger for titles, or is simply pacing herself ahead of the Wimbledon championships remains to be seen. Irrespective of whether or not her form is good, there's no question that Serena's  powerful game and strong mental game remains well suited to grass courts.

Venus Williams, meanwhile, appears to be in the midst of yet another comeback having claimed a cluster of titles in 2010. The seemingly indestructible former world number one has won Wimbledon 5 times and played in the final another 3 finals. She's easily the classiest grass court player of her generation but may not have enough gas left into the tank to go all the way in a grand slam tournament.

The Belgian Threat

The two biggest rivals to the Williams sisters both hail from Belgium, and are both back in the game after coming out of retirement. Justine Henin is probably the primary threat to the Williams hegemony: she's won at Wimbledon before, is a player of unsurpassed skill, and is gradually approaching her awesome best as she acclimatises to the demands of the WTA Tour.

Kim Clijsters is also a player to watch our for. Unlike the diminutive Henin, Clijsters has a physique to match that of the Williams sisters and play them at their own game. The Belgian scored a major upset when she won the US Open final in 2009, and has a head for the big events. She'll need to watch out for an upset by a lower-ranked player in the early stages of the tournament if she's to secure a place in the 2010 Wimbledon final.

An Open Field

There's more to the 2010 Wimbledon women's draw than the Williams sisters and the Belgian duo of Clijsters and Henin. Several players have been in promising form in 2010, including Jelena Jankovic, Caroline Wozniacki and former Wimbledon star, Maria Sharapova. The latter seems the most likely culprit to upset the favourites, but would need to recapture the sort of form that took her to grand slam titles before her battle with injury began.

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