(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
At first glance one would think that the women's draw is wide open, and that the Wimbledon trophy can be had by at least 10 players. If we take a closer look we can conclude that is not the case.
What we have learned this year so far is that there really isn't a dominant player on the WTA when we start talking about the majors. Serena Williams probably comes the closest, but she is by no means a lock.
Dinara Safina
The No. 1 ranked women's player has made tremendous strides in the last year and a half, but still hasen't found a way to get over her nerves in grand slam finals. It is obvious she has the game, and the tools to be great, but that is not enough to get to the pinnacle of the sport.
It has to be packaged with a calm belief and intestinal fortitude that will not let her shrink on the big stage. It seems like her emotions get the best of her in the major tournament finals and she is unable overcome it during the match.
She really didn't show up against Svetlana Kuznetsova, and there is not really a good reason why. The question is does Dinara really believe that she is the best women's player in the world?
Not the most consistent, but the best. If she really believes that, then she has to believe that she is supposed to win Grand Slams. That has to be the logical progression, and if she is not winning them, then something is wrong.
Dinara has conquered her emotions before and it has helped her get to this point, so it is not a question as to whether she can get over that hurdle. The question is how long will it take and how many opportunities will she miss?
There are no real weakness' in her game. Her serve could be more consistent, and maybe she could be more aggressive and come forward more (especially on grass) but other than that she is fine.
She is a contender, but we have to wait and see how the crushing loss at Roland Garros affected her, either for the better, or worse.
Serena Williams
Definitely a contender. There are no confidence issues with Serena Williams, and as she has stated before, she believes that she is the favorite in any tournament she is in.
She has come under fire for her bold comments proclaiming that everyone knows who the best women's player is, and for not giving her opponents credit when she loses.
There is certainly room for more humility on her part, but we can't argue with the results. She has won two of the last three Grand Slams, and one she didn't win she lost to the eventual champion.
Other than her booming serves and over-powering ground strokes, Serena's biggest asset is her confidence. Combine that with the fact that she will never quit no matter what the score is, and her ability to stay calm in big spots, and you have a player capable of dominating, if she puts in the work.
One of the interesting things is that Serena admitted that she choked after her loss to Kuznetsova in the semi's at the French Open. She was up a break in the third set but but uncharacteristically couldn't get it done.
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