First Look at the 2009 Wimbledon Main Draw

Tradition meets tennis once again as the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club plays the host to the prestigious 2009 Championships at Wimbledon.

Led by world number one Dinara Safina, 128 women are in pursuit of the legendary Venus Rosewater dish and one of the biggest prizes in all professional tennis.

Top Quarter

The first quarter of the Wimbledon draw is loaded with women who are often lovingly and occasionally not so affectionately known as head cases. I have no intention of slighting their talent because all these who shall not remain nameless are loaded in that department, but just can’t seem to get their minds in sync with their games.

Dinara Safina, Agnes Szavay, Amelie Mauresmo, Anna Chakvetadze and recent French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova each have shown that they can win big—and lose big.

Safina’s last Grand Slam final appearance will likely haunt her for a long time. She started her pursuit of the French Open women’s title with a near perfect run, only to finish in tears after breaking down mentally in the championship match. That makes three such meltdowns for Safina, and it remains to be seen whether she’ll ever fully master her fragile psyche. As for Kuznetsova, grass is not her best surface, so I don’t expect her to walk away with the title. Still, she could be the player to again prove that despite Dinara Safina’s ranking, she simply does not play like the best player in the world.
Quarterfinalist Prediction: Svetlana Kuznetsova

Second Quarter

Fifth seed and five-time champion Venus Williams doesn’t need luck to help her win Wimbledon for the sixth time, but it definitely would not hurt. Here, she received a relatively easy draw, which should lead her straight to the quarterfinals. Ana Ivanovic is slated to possibly meet Venus in the round of sixteen, but given the Serbian’s recent form, she might not make it that far.

If the draw holds, Venus will face sixth seed Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals. The two women have played several epic matches over the past four years, and ironically Jankovic won their only encounter on grass at Wimbledon in 2006.
Quarterfinalist Prediction: Venus Williams

Third Quarter

The third quarter of the draw looks like a winner-take-all for whoever is uninjured, inspired and serving the best on the fast grass surface. Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva are the highest seeds, but Zvonareva is fresh off a bad ankle injury (she lost her first match back at Eastbourne to Mauresmo) and Dementieva, the top seed at Eastbourne, was beaten by Virginie Razzano in the second round.

The uncertainty might give a few rising stars a chance to shine. Alisa Kleybanova has been playing well of late, along with Dominika Cibulkova, Razzano, Aleksandra Wozniak and former finalist Marion Bartoli. Another player to follow in the third quarter is Sesil Karatantcheva, who is playing her first Wimbledon in four years after serving out her two-year doping suspension.
Quarterfinalist Prediction: Aleksandra Wozniak

Bottom Quarter

As I glanced at a printout of the draw this morning, I actually said “OH” aloud when my eyes reached the bottom quarter. Two women who have given us several memorable matches over the years could potential meet in the quarterfinals. Serena Williams’ rivalry with Maria Sharapova goes back five years when at seventeen Sharapova ended the Williams dynasty at SW19. Of course, Venus would regain the throne the following season in 2005, but Serena has never managed to win another title on the pristine lawns of the Championships.

Speaking of luck, Sharapova received a big break when the AELTC decided to ignore her ranking of No. 59 and seed her at No. 24. That keeps her from playing a top seed early on in the Championships, but she could still play No. 8 Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round—another match I’ve been anxious to see.
Quarterfinalist Prediction: Maria Sharapova

Semifinal Predictions

Venus Williams d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
Maria Sharapova d. Aleksandra Wozniak

Championship Prediction

Venus Williams d. Maria Sharapova