WIMBLEDON, England – Women to watch at Wimbledon, which begins Monday:
MARIA SHARAPOVA
Seeded: 1
Ranked: 1
Age: 25
Country: Russia
2012 Match Record: 36-5
2012 Singles Titles: 3
Career Singles Titles: 27
Major Titles: 4 — Wimbledon ('04), U.S. Open ('06), Australian Open ('08), French Open ('12)
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-Lost in Final '10-4th, '09-2nd, '08-2nd, '07-4th
Topspin: Coming off title on clay at French Open, which made her the 10th woman in tennis history with a career Grand Slam. ... That championship was her first at a major tournament since she had right shoulder surgery in October 2008 — and also moved her back to No. 1 in the WTA rankings for the first time since the operation. ... Was 17 when she won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam title.
VICTORIA AZARENKA
Seeded: 2
Ranked: 2
Age: 22
Country: Belarus
2012 Match Record: 38-4
2012 Singles Titles: 4
Career Singles Titles: 12
Major Titles: 1 — Australian Open ('12)
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-SF, '10-3rd, '09-QF, '08-3rd, '07-3rd
Topspin: Has a chance to regain the No. 1 ranking she ceded to Sharapova, depending on how both fare at the All England Club. ... Won her first major title in January at the Australian Open. ... Her 26-match winning streak was the longest at the start of a season since 1997. ... 9-0 in matches that go three sets this season.
AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA
Seeded: 3
Ranked: 3
Age: 23
Country: Poland
2012 Match Record: 38-8
2012 Singles Titles: 3
Career Singles Titles: 10
Major Titles: 0 — Best: QF, five times, most recently at Australian Open ('12)
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-2nd, '10-4th, '09-QF, '08-QF, '07-3rd
Topspin: Six of her eight losses this season came against Azarenka. ... Four of the past five Grand Slam champions were first-time major title winners, and Radwanska could be the next player to make a breakthrough. ... Twice a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon — and three times that far at other majors — but never a Grand Slam semifinalist so far.
PETRA KVITOVA
Seeded: 4
Ranked: 4
Age: 22
Country: Czech Republic
2012 Match Record: 22-8
2012 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 7
Major Titles: 1 — Wimbledon ('11)
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-Won Championship, '10-SF, '09-1st, '08-1st, '07-Did Not Play
Topspin: Tall left-hander's best Grand Slam results have come on grass at Wimbledon, where she reached semifinals in 2010, then won the championship in 2011. ... Only player ranked in top 10 who hasn't reached a final this year. ... Last year at All England Club, became first woman born in the 1990s to win a major singles title.
SERENA WILLIAMS
Seeded: 6
Ranked: 6
Age: 30
Country: United States
2012 Match Record: 27-3
2012 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 41
Major Titles: 13 — Wimbledon ('02, '03, '09, '10), U.S. Open ('99, '02, '08), Australian Open ('03, '05, '07, '09, '10), French Open ('02)
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-4th, '10-W, '09-W, '08-F, '07-QF
Topspin: Fell to 46-1 in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments with stunning loss to Virginie Razzano in opener at Roland Garros. ... "Whether I had won in Paris or lost like I did in the first round, I am always extremely motivated. If anything, you know, I think losing makes me even more motivated," she said Saturday. ... Withdrew from Italian Open with a back injury before her semifinal match there in May. ... Shortly after winning Wimbledon in 2010, cut her foot on glass, leading to a series of health issues, including clots in her lungs; returned to the tour in June 2011. ... Reached the Wimbledon final in six of her last nine appearances.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
Seeded: 7
Ranked: 7
Age: 21
Country: Denmark
2012 Match Record: 22-11
2012 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 18
Major Titles: 0 — Best: F, at U.S. Open in '09
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-4th, '10-4th, '09-4th, '08-3rd, '07-2nd
Topspin: After a half-dozen titles each of the past two seasons, still seeking her first of 2012. Only reached one final so far. ... Still looking for her first Grand Slam title. ... Won 2006 Wimbledon junior title.
KIM CLIJSTERS
Seeded: Unseeded
Ranked: 53rd
Age: 29
Country: Belgium
2012 Match Record: 10-3
2012 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 41
Major Titles: 4 — U.S. Open ('05, '09, '10), Australian Open ('11)
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-DNP, '10-QF, '09-DNP, '08-DNP, '07-DNP
Topspin: After being sidelined for about three months with ankle and hip injuries, returned to the tour last week at a grass-court tuneup event in the Netherlands, but withdrew Friday because of a stomach muscle strain. She says she will play at the All England Club one last time, however. ... Has announced she'll retire after the U.S. Open. Already left the tour once, before returning and collecting three of her four career Grand Slam titles.
VENUS WILLIAMS
Seeded: Unseeded
Ranked: 55th
Age: 32
Country: United States
2012 Match Record: 12-5
2012 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 43
Major Titles: 7 — Wimbledon ('00, '01, '05, '07, '08), U.S. Open ('00, '01)
Last 5 Wimbledons: '11-4th, '10-QF, '09-F, '08-W, '07-W
Topspin: She's been the champion or runner-up at the All England Club eight of the past 12 years; the three losses in finals all came against younger sister Serena. ... Leads all active players with 71 career match wins at Wimbledon; Serena is next with 60, then big drop-off to Sharapova with 34. ... Coming off a second-round exit at the French Open, her first Grand Slam action since Aug. 29, 2011, at the U.S. Open; two days later, she pulled out of her second-round match at that tournament, revealing that she'd been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
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