Ranking the Top 10 Women's Players Heading into Wimbledon 2016
Wimbledon serves as the crown and completion of tennis' brief grass-court season. With the exception of the French Open, grass was once the surface for all the Grand Slams. Now it's a rather quaint anomaly on the tennis tour.
That's why past performance on grass serves as the best barometer for which players might heat up at the All England Club.
Defending champion Serena Williams heads into Wimbledon seeking her 22nd Grand Slam title. Despite recent disappointments in Slams, Williams remains the player to beat.
But how about the best of the rest? Who has momentum heading into Wimbledon?
This pre-Wimbledon top-ten list factors in a player's WTA Tour ranking, their Road to Singapore points and the WTA's grass court power rankings.
Past performances at Wimbledon are the reason Roberta Vinci failed to make this list. Vinci is ranked No. 7 in singles. However, Vinci has never advanced beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon. She's lost in the first round the past two years.
Victoria Azarenka would have made the list, but she withdrew today. Her withdrawal left an opening for one young American. That player is the biggest surprise on this list of the Top 10 players going into Wimbledon.
Honorable Mention: Caroline Garcia
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Caroline Garcia is only ranked No. 32, but she's No. 16 on the Road to Singapore. Last week, Garcia won the Mallorca Open, a grass-court tournament that included a field with Eugenie Bouchard, Ana Ivanovic, Garbine Muguruza and Sabine Lisicki.
10. CoCo Vandeweghe
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CoCo Vandeweghe makes a surprise appearance at No. 10. She's only ranked No. 29 and is even lower (35) on the Road to Singapore.
But Vandeweghe reached the quarterfinals at the French Open. She followed that up by defending her title at the Ricoh Open, a grass-court tournament in Netherlands. Then she reached the semifinals in Birmingham.
Vandeweghe, 24, is proving that her quarterfinals appearance at Wimbledon last year was no fluke. Her big, go-for-broke style is so well-suited for grass.
9. Simona Halep
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Simona Halep is ranked No. 5 and she's No. 8 on the Road to Singapore. So why is she ranked No. 9 on this list?
Outside of reaching the semifinals in 2014, Halep's done nothing at Wimbledon. In her four other appearances, Halep did not advance beyond the second round. She lost in the first round twice.
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8. Venus Williams
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Venus Williams has more Wimbledon titles (five) than any other active player besides her sister.
This year, Venus Williams goes into Wimbledon ranked No. 9. With Azarenka out, Williams will be seeded at No. 8.
She's one of the best grass-court players of all time. However, she's been struggling to put together a string of solid matches.
7. Petra Kvitova
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Petra Kvitova has two Wimbledon titles and is second on the WTA's grass-court power rankings. But there are two "Petras" circulating on the tour.
One is the lights out Petra who played a near perfect match in a finals win over Eugenie Bouchard in 2014. That Petra hit Serena Williams off the court in Madrid last year.
Then there's the Petra who loses inexplicably to players you've never heard of. That Petra is why Kvitova is No. 7 here.
6. Madison Keys
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This week, Madison Keys made her debut into the WTA's Top 10. She won the 2016 Aegon Classic, her second WTA title.
Sports writer Melissa Isaacson told ESPN, "We're still waiting for Madison Keys to win her first Grand Slam title, but Wimbledon might present her best chance for a major breakthrough."
This might be it.
5. Belinda Bencic
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Belinda Bencic is having a sneaky-good year. She's ranked No. 8 in the WTA and is the youngest player in the top 20.
Bencic is also No. 8 in the grass-court power rankings. She's only ranked No. 29 in the race to Singapore, but that's mainly because she missed the French Open.
4. Angelique Kerber
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Angelique Kerber is finding the post-Slam win life challenging. She lost in the first round of the French Open.
Yet Kerber remains fourth on the WTA tour. She's No. 2 on the Road to Singapore rankings and No. 6 on the grass-court power rankings.
Her upset win over Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2014 proved Kerber has the type of defensive skills to thwart big hitters.
Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbine Muguruza have massive points to defend. A solid finish here could put Kerber back at No. 2 and she has an outside chance at No. 1.
3. Agnieszka Radwanska
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Despite trailing Kerber on the Road to Singapore, Radwanska is ranked No. 3 here because of her grass-court success.
Radwanska has been consistent at Wimbledon. She's made it to the quarterfinals or better five times. She was runner up in 2012 and reached the semifinals last year. She's never lost in the first round.
2. Garbine Muguruza
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Muguruza is ranked No. 2 and after defeating Serena Williams in the French Open final, has to feel good about her chances in a possible rematch.
Chris Evert believes Muguruza is the next No. 1 player. She told the WTA (via ESPN conference call):
"When I look at the next three, I look at Radwanska, Kerber and Halep. I don't think either of those three are going to end up No.1 in the world. They don't have that sort of overwhelming power. Muguruza does have it, very much like Serena, following in her footsteps.
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Muguruza is No. 4 on the WTA's grass-court power rankings. She's the type of player who comes up big in important matches. How she plays as a champion is still in question. She lost in the first round at the Mallorca Open.
1. Serena Williams
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Serena Williams' grip on the No. 1 ranking is slipping. An early exit could make way for Radwanska, Kerber or Muguruza.
Still, despite her recent woes at Grand Slams, Williams remains No. 1 on the Road to Singapore, No. 1 on the WTA grass court power rankings and No. 1 here.
She's the best and her game gets better on grass.
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