The best tennis pros in the world make a quick change from the red clay of Roland Garros to the manicured lawns of Wimbledon beginning next weekend, as the 131st edition of the Wimbledon Championships begins on June 25.
Nobody will be happier to bid goodbye to the clay than world No. 1 Roger Federer. Once again Federer failed to complete the career Grand Slam after losing to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final. Federer should feel much more confident on the green grass of Wimbledon, considering he has not only won but dominated this tournament the last four years. Federer beat Nadal in last year's final, 6-0, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, and easily defeated hard-hitting American Andy Roddick in the 2004 and 2005 finals. Federer's first Wimbledon final victory came against Mark Philippoussis in 2003.
The last man not named Federer to be called "winner" at Wimbledon was Aussie Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. If anyone is going to keep Federer from making it five in a row this month in England, it looks like either Hewitt or Nadal has the best chance to do it. However, Hewitt has lost his last nine tennis matches against Federer.
The defending women's Wimbledon champion is Amelie Mauresmo. Wimbledon became Mauresmo's second career Grand Slam title after also winning the Australian Open last year. Mauresmo faced Justine Henin in the final and defeated her 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Despite never winning at Wimbledon, Henin may be the woman to beat in England this year, considering she is coming off her third straight French Open title and playing some of the best tennis of her impressive career.
Overall, the women's field is much more competitive than the men's and has a number of title contenders. This includes Ana Ivanovic, who fell to Henin in the French Open final; Venus Williams, a three-time Wimbledon champ who last won in 2005; Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion; and Serena Williams, who won back-to-back Wimbledon titles in 2002 and 2003. Others who shouldn't be overlooked include dark horse contenders like Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova.
Bet on the 2007 Wimbledon at WagerWeb Sportsbook
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