Serbs, Russians, Williamses Among Wimbledon Favorites

Two Serbs, four Russians and two Williams sisters make up the Top 8 seeds at Wimbledon this year, but they won't be the only ones with the title in mind as the year's third major hits the lawns of London.
 
Going into last year's Wimbledon fortnight they were two of the new faces in the Top 10, but Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic were No.1 and No.2 in the world the week before Wimbledon, making Serbia the third country in Sony Ericsson WTA Tour history to hold the Top 2 spots in the rankings, following the United States and Belgium. They have both done exceptionally well at the majors this year - Ivanovic finishing runner-up in Australia and winning in Paris, and Jankovic reaching the semifinals at both - and both have recorded impressive finishes here before, most notably a semifinal from Ivanovic in 2007.
 
History has shown no one can overlook the Williams sisters at Wimbledon, no matter where they rank. And this year both hold Top 8 seeds, with two-time champion Serena Williams at No.6 and four-time champion Venus Williams at No.7. They are the only multiple former champions in this year's field, and while Serena won her titles in 2002 and 2003 as the No.2 and No.1 seeds (not much of a longshot), Venus has definitely broken some unlikelihood barriers, her 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007 titles coming as the No.5, No.2, No.14 and No.23 seeds. They are on separate halves of the draw this year, potentially setting up another title clash (they played in both the 2002 and 2003 finals).
 
Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva, Anna Chakvetadze; all hold Top 8 seeds as well, with Sharapova being the most accomplished player on these lawns. She went all the way to the title in 2004 and reached back-to-back semifinals the next two years, last year falling in the fourth round to eventual champion Venus Williams. Kuznetsova and Dementieva have both reached quarterfinals here, while Chakvetadze is still looking to reach the second week for the first time. Combine the Russian quartet with Dinara Safina, the No.9 seed, and you've got five of the Top 9 seeds coming from the tennis powerhouse.
 
Scrolling a bit down in the seedings list to No.25 and No.29, you can find two more former champions, namely Lindsay Davenport and Amélie Mauresmo. Davenport beat seven-time champion Steffi Graf for the title in 1999 and also reached finals in 2000 and 2005, finishing runner-up to Venus Williams both times; Mauresmo won this title in 2006, beating Justine Henin in three sets for the title. Despite their lowly seeding, both should be strong contenders, although they both have potential third round match-ups with high seeds (Davenport could meet Dementieva in the third round; Mauresmo could play Serena Williams).
 
Then of course there's Marion Bartoli, who until last week had spent much of the year just inside the Top 10 but just dipped out and is the No.11 seed. The Frenchwoman made one of the most surprising runs to a major final in recent history here last year, taking out Jankovic and Henin en route, falling to Venus.
 
Cara Black and Liezel Huber have won their last three grass court tournaments, beginning here last year and continuing through Birmingham and Eastbourne this year. They will be the favorites for the doubles title, although they will face stiff competition from a whole host of established partnerships, including five other teams that have won Grand Slam titles before. Among those teams are Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, winners here in 2006, and the Williams sisters, who won the doubles here in 2000 and 2002.

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