| Wimbledon 2001 Preview | |
Continued from Page One
All eyes will be on Jennifer Capriati as she seeks her third Grand Slam title for 2001. If the thought of getting 3/4 of the way to a Grand Slam doesn't distract her too much, she has an excellent chance of doing it. Capriati has the right strengths for grass. Her groundstrokes are among the hardest in the game, and she has no trouble hitting fairly flat, which accentuates the ball's skidding forward on the grass. Jennifer's big first serve will earn her plenty of free points, although she'll likely give a few back with double faults. With the new fitness that helped her win the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year, she'll be able to run down enough balls to hold up the defensive end of her game as well.
If any player has a better combination of power and speed than Capriati, it's Venus Williams. Williams has the fastest serve on the women's tour and groundstrokes as hard as anyone's. She's also extremely quick, with an incredible reach. As the defending champion, she'll also have good reason to feel confident, despite her first-round exit from the French Open a month ago. Williams hasn't had quite as good as year as has Capriati (no one has), but if Capriati feels any of the pressure, the odds for each become too close to distinguish.
No list of power players is complete without Lindsay Davenport, the 1999 Wimbledon champion and 2000 runner-up. Out of action for the last three months with a knee injury, Davenport is making a strong return to grass. She won the grass warmup at Eastbourne, England, and says her knee is holding up well. Her first serve is almost as fast as Venus's, but arguably better because it is often more consistent. Her groundstrokes are deep, hard, flat, and well-placed. She also has tremendous reach and good volleys. Lindsay's one liability is her movement, which, although much improved over the last few years, is considerably slower than Venus's or Jennifer's.
Still the world's number one player, Martina Hingis shouldn't be counted out at Wimbledon, but she has not done well against more powerful players in big tournaments over the last couple of years, and on grass, power is a bigger factor than on any other surface. If Hingis wins Wimbledon, it will be her first Grand Slam victory in more than two years and a major surprise.
A whole crop of rising stars make the women's field highly interesting in every tournament, and several of them have good reason to hope for a strong Wimbledon run. Justine Henin enters with a fresh Heineken title, defeating Kim Clijsters in the final. Clijsters made a great showing on the French Open clay, losing a tough final to Capriati, and she prefers grass. Amelie Mauresmo has had an excellent year and is yet another of the new breed of player with tremendous power and speed. Jelena Dokic has made the quarterfinals and semifinals in previous Wimbledons, and she has only improved and matured since.
Who will prevail in each singles field? Join our forum discussion.
