Much like the men’s game, the women’s side of the sport is dominated by two elite players that shine above the rest, and in this case they are sisters. Venus and Serena Williams have dominated Wimbledon, and Women’s Tennis for that matter, like few before them. Venus won the tournament 2 years ago, for the 5th time in her career, while Serena is the event’s defending champion, looking to defend her 2009 crown. Since Lindsay Davenport defeated Steffi Graf in 1999 to win the title, every Wimbledon women’s final has featured at least one of the Williams sisters, with the exception of 2006. While the sisters sit atop the seeding, the talent gap isn’t quite as large as in the men’s bracket. Here is a lot at a list of female competitors who could make the 2006 anomaly a repeat occurrence.
We’re only days away from the start of the most respected and well-known tournament in professional Tennis, so in preparation let’s take a moment to reflect on where this great game and championship came from.
For a player of his talent and someone who holds the record for the fastest serve in tennis history, many people feel that Andy Roddick’s career doesn’t reflect just how incredible his game truly is. A losing streak early in his career, while he was still in the juniors, almost led Roddick to quit. After being convinced to give the game a little longer, he finally had a breakthrough in 2003 and became the number one player in the world, and he was only 21.
Seven time Grand Slam single winner, 2008 Olympic gold medalist, eighteen time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 winner, five time French Open title winner, and the current No. 1 tennis player in the world…at age 24, Rafael ‘Rafa’ Nadal Parera’s list of accomplishments is stunning. Ever since he turned pro in 2000, Rafael has earned his nickname as “the King of Clay” for being the greatest clay court player of all time.
Men’s tennis has been dominated in recent years by the sports two male superstars, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. This year’s Wimbledon looks to be no different with Federer seeded number 1 and Nadal at number 2. The order was a bit of a surprise as Nadal is currently the top ranked player on the planet, but Wimbledon officials chose to give the nod to the Swiss defending champion, in part to his slight historic edge on grass courts. Still, the men’s competition is expected to follow chalk at the top as it would be a major surprise for a lower-seeded competitor to walk away with the championship. Just in case a shocker is brewing, here’s a look at some of the aspiring upset candidates.
While skill and talent are the main things that count in a tennis match, the right racket can make a huge difference in how well you play the game. Different rackets should be used if you’re a beginning tennis player versus if you’re a few swings short of competing in Wimbledon. Additionally, players with different playing styles and techniques should find rackets that accentuate their strong points and help neutralize the areas that need work. Here are the best rackets for their respective categories: