Morning:
8°c
The WTA Tour held their annual gathering at Kensington Roof Gardens last night but there were few in the mood to party on the verge of what may be one of the most open women's draws in years.
Although defending champion Venus Williams and sister Serena appear the most likely candidates once again, their prominence is really only explained by the lack of challengers to the established order. Serena won in Australia but was never truly comfortable at Roland Garros and has struggled with injury while Venus, who is bidding for a third successive title, has endured a nightmare year in the grand slams — losing twice in early rounds.
Question marks surround world No1 Dinara Safina's hopes of lifting the famous Venus Rosewater Dish as she is yet to win a slam having lost her third final at the French Open earlier this month.
The Russian has also never been beyond the third round at SW19 and her mental strength is in doubt after Svetlana Kuznetsova's victory in France.
Kuznetsova openly admits she is weak on grass and when Jelena Jankovic's shocking recent form is considered alongside Elena Dementieva's vulnerable serve, this could be the year a player emerges from the chasing pack.
Victoria Azarenka from Belarus probably tops that list. Although the 19-year-old reached the third round last year, she has a credible 32-6 record this year and has a game naturally suited to grass.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle is her inexperience — something she admitted cost her victory against Safina at Roland Garros.
The focus of home attention is likely to be on 15-year-old Laura Robson's first crack at the main draw. The Australian-born left-hander was handed a wildcard by the All England Club and 1992 finalist Monica Seles, who also rose to prominence as a teenager, said: “If she starts getting nervous just remember why you started playing tennis and go back to that simplicity — that thought has helped me so much in my career.”
