Wimbledon is officially underway, having seen the action kickstart across 18 different grass courts today.
We got to watch Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Jannik Sinner and more all get their campaigns underway in SW19, and it has really sparked excitement for the two weeks that are to come.
However, despite some fine performances, it is still a difficult one to call, and on the women’s side in particular there is an absence of one outstanding star set to cruise to the title.
One legendary pundit has backed the world number 111 to have a good go at it though.
Jimmy Connors backs one outsider WTA star to win Wimbledon
Jimmy Connors has sought to offer his prediction ahead of Wimbledon, and couldn’t help but focus on the WTA given how wide-open the field is compared to the men’s.
After all, whilst it is expected that Alcaraz and Sinner will dominate, there is no outstanding favourite given Iga Swiatek’s struggles on grass.
So, whilst offering his three favourites, he also included one outsider with a real shot at going far in the competition, speaking on his Advantage Connors podcast.
He noted: ‘I’m going for Sabby [Sabalenka] and Rybakina. I’m going for the bigger hitters.
‘And as an asterisk, I’m going to put in [Naomi] Osaka. I’ll put her in there because I think her performance in the French [Open] kind of gave her a little confidence. Even though she lost that, she should’ve won that match against Iga.
‘Grass is going to do nothing but enhance her abilities to play that big game.’
Andy Roddick has predicted that Naomi Osaka might struggle at Wimbledon though.
Naomi Osaka could thrive on the grass
Just as Connors suggests, there are few who will see their key weapons enhanced more on the grass than Naomi Osaka.
After all, as someone willing to trade thunderous blows from the baseline, during her peak, and even in glimpses this year, she has showcased her ability to outlast and overpower most of her opponents.
Add into that her fine serve, and already the foundation for a deep Wimbledon run emerges.
However, for all her success, this hard-court specialist is actually yet to get past the third round in SW19, despite having won four Grand Slam titles.
Given the openness of the draw though, this again will mark a fine year to break that hoodoo, just as she very nearly did at Roland Garros by dumping out Swiatek.
It is widely regarded that their match on Philippe Chatrier was effectively the final, given how nobody else challenged the world number one in the rest of her matches.
Hopefully, she can use this as a great confidence booster, and finally start to turn the grass into her friend just as she seems to have done with clay.
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