Serena Williams Is The Wimbledon Warrior Queen But Is Her Reign Over?
The Florida native has won 23 Grand Slam titles to date.
Major sports are slowly returning from the coronavirus enforced lockdown, with supporters beginning to trickle back through the gates. Wimbledon 2021 in Wimbledon is one of the highlights of this summer’s schedule, and the action begins on 28 June.
Think women’s tennis at the beautiful London venue, and you’re likely to conjure up images of American star Serena Williams blasting her way to another title. The Florida native has won 23 Grand Slam titles to date, with seven of those at Wimbledon.
Is she set for another this year? The major betting sites remain unconvinced, with Canadian sportsbooks writing off the chances of Wiliams.
American veteran lives the life
Her tally of seven gongs places Williams joint second in the list of all-time greats at the world-famous British event from the Open Era. Serena sits behind Martina Navratilova with nine and level with Steffi Graf. Is 2021 the year Williams overtakes the German?
At 39 years old, critics say her best days are now firmly behind her, and she is slowing towards retirement, which may come sooner than many fans expect. Supporters point to the American’s stunning back-to-back wins in 2015 and 2016 during a period of real dominance. They believe she has one more big effort left in the tank.
A strong case could be made for either argument, but there’s no doubting the class of Williams. She is a model professional who, despite her age, is a model pro who lives the life of a sports star, takes care of her body and remains at the top level of professional sports due to that lifestyle.
Even her harshest critic knows it would be foolish to write off Williams for glory. If she chooses to travel to London and play this summer, it’ll be because she is confident in her ability to win. She will only put her reputation and body on the line if she has looked at the competition and thought it’s possible, she can do this. Winning a first Wimbledon plate in five years won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, Serena can.
Serena’s four-year drought
It’s true that Williams last recorded a Grand Slam victory in 2017 when landing the Australian Open. Since then, she has suffered extended bouts of injury and loss of form. That explains why traders at all major betting sites have Serena down the pecking order in their Wimbledon outright market.
Supposing Williams isn’t destined for glory on the centre court this year. Then who is? Usually, clues could be taken from the outright betting, but bookmakers seem no more certain than average sports fans. The market is a competitive one, with the leading sportsbooks in disagreement on who the most likely winner is.
Some respected bookies pin their hopes on Ashleigh Barty, the 25-year-old Australian. She currently has only one Grand Slam against her name, and that came in the French Open 2019. She has gone no further than the fourth round of Wimbledon. Does that suggest she struggles on the grass?
Naomi Osaka is the other name ahead of Williams in the outright betting. The 23-year-old Japanese star is one of the hottest properties in sport. She boasts four Grand Slams, doubling up at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, adding to the US Open in 2018 and 2020. It’s worth noting that, despite that success, Osaka has never gone beyond round three at Wimbledon. That’s sure to put a few bettors off supporting her.
Three different champions in three years
Since the memorable Williams double in 2015 and 2016, we’ve witnessed three different Wimbledon champions from three different countries. Interestingly, all three women defeated either Serena or Venus Williams in the final.
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won in 2017, German Angelique Kerber claimed the medal in 2018, and the most recent champion was Romania’s Simona Halep in 2019. Will that trend continue as the leading ladies battle for dominance, or will we see the next Serena Williams emerge from the shadows?
There was no Wimbledon champion in 2020 due to COVID-19, meaning Halep will arrive in the British capital as reigning champion and looking to secure two in a row.
Preview and top images courtesy of Instagram @serenawilliams
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