• Wimbledon 2011

Sharapova looks the most likely

Simon Cambers June 18, 2011

The return of the Williams sisters has galvanised the women's event at the right time and the bookmakers, if not the other players, are running scared about the prospect of one of them winning the title again.

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Nine of the past 11 Wimbledons have been won by Serena (four) and Venus (five) so even though Serena has recovered from injury and a life-threatening illness that kept her out for a year, and though Venus is back after five months out, perhaps they are not that far off the mark.

Bet365 make Serena 7/2 favourite, while Venus is third favourite at 7/1. Either - if fully fit - are a massive danger and Serena is the best player in the world when she's 100 percent. But I can't see how they can be firing on all cylinders just yet and they will be vulnerable.

That's not to say they can't win but I don't think either of them will and the fact that the bookies have rated them so highly means that this year there may actually be a bit more value in the women's event than usual.

In part, that's because it has never been more open. The world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, still chasing her first grand slam title, has barely been talked about in the build-up and is 10/1 to win it. Li Na, the French Open champion, is a big threat given her confidence and her game should be suited to grass with her flat groundstrokes, and yet bet365 make her 8/1.

Last year's runner-up Vera Zvonareva, who also made the final of the US Open, is 18/1 and Victoria Azarenka, arguably the best player in the world this year, is 14/1. In the absence of the injured Kim Clijsters, the bookies don't seem to know what to do.

But the one player who stands out for me is Maria Sharapova. After a couple of years in which she had shoulder surgery and struggled for fitness, the Russian is back and playing some of the best tennis of her career.

At 24, she seems to have discovered a new lease of life, with a new coach, a fiance, and the confidence that comes from winning big tournaments. She won the biggest clay-court title of her career in Rome in May and reached the semi-finals of the French Open.

Clay remains her weakest surface but with her movement improved, she should love a return to the grass and Wimbledon, where she won the title in 2004. With two other grand slams under her belt, she is a proven winner and no one, with the exception of Serena, is as mentally strong. Bet365 make her 9/2 and I think that's an excellent price.

Kvitova and Bartoli could spoil the party

If there is going to be a really shock winner then Petra Kvitova and Marion Bartoli could be the ones to look out for. Kvitova looks a future champion to me. Tall and left-handed, the Czech reached the semi-finals last year and has the perfect game for grass. At 10/1, she is good each-way value.

Bartoli is back playing the kind of tennis that took her all the way to the final in 2007. The Frenchwoman may be among the most eccentric of players, in terms of their on-court mannerisms, but she is in form, as her run to the semis in Paris proves.

Like Kvitova, who also won a big clay-court tournament this spring, Bartoli is better on faster courts and she could really upset the odds, and make bet365's 40/1 look a great price.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.

Simon Cambers is ESPN.co.uk's betting correspondent

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