Wimbledon 2012: Ranking Women's Tennis Players Most Likely to Win Olympic Gold

With Olympic gold being a major goal for the summer Serena Williams definitely got on the right start toward achieving that by capturing the third Grand Slam of the season, Wimbledon, over the weekend.

And while Williams won at the site of the Olympics—her fifth singles title at the All-England Club—it's hard to discount the grass-court pedigree of some other players who will be in the women's singles field when it comes to gaining the top spot on the podium.

Here are the top-five contenders for a first-place finish in London.

5. Sabine Lisicki, Germany

Sabine Lisicki might not have entered the winner's circle yet this year, but it would be hard to imagine that continuing for much longer. And if you had to pick a darkhorse for a gold medal run, she's a worthy choice.

The big hitter from Germany is coming off a quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon, knocking off then-No. 1 Maria Sharapova along the way. That run comes a year after making the semifinals there and she also made the quarters back in 2009. Lisicki didn't play at the tournament in 2010, but odds are she would've made a deep run then too.

She has the game for grass and is poised to hoist a first-place prize sometime soon.

4. Angelique Kerber, Germany

Lisicki's countrywoman, Angelique Kerber, has had a breakout season in 2012. She's just made the semifinals at the All-England Club. Prior to the start of the tournament, she made the finals at the warm-up tournament in Eastbourne.

Earlier in the year, Kerber won her first career title at the Paris Indoors event. She's currently in front of the German resurgence in the rankings and has a firm foothold within the Top 10.

3. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland

Agnieszka Radwanska has been on the upswing since the start of the 2011 summer hard-court season. She's won six singles titles in less than a year's time and hit a career high in the rankings.

More importantly, perhaps, to her chances at the Summer Games is her grass-court prowess: The 2005 Wimbledon junior champion just made her first career Grand Slam singles final at the senior event this year. Not only that, she battled Serena Williams gamely in the finals, stretching her to three sets. Belief can take her a long way in the weeks ahead.

2. Maria Sharapova, Russia

If there's one player chomping at the bits for the Olympics to start, it's Maria Sharapova. You can count her as one of the most motivated athletes across all sports to be in London at the end of the month.

Much of her drive to work her way back from injury has been geared to this. Sharapova's also met the necessary requirements to participate in Fed Cup—the women's international team competition.

Add to the fact that the 2004 Wimbledon champion lost early at this year's edition, and you'll see a clearly focused player with one goal in mind—the top spot on the medal podium.

1. Serena Williams, US

The fact that Serena Williams doesn't have a singles Gold Medal is a shocking one.

She's shown she's willing to do whatever it takes to rectify that.

Like Sharapova, Williams has met her Fed Cup requirements and also like Maria, has done much to work her way back from injury and illness. The 2012—and five times overall—Wimbledon champion is one of the greatest grass-court players of all-time and is the clear-cut favorite to add a gold medal to her trophy case.