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Mens Singles

All eyes will be on Swiss cheese Roger Federer as he tries to achieve a hat-trick of Wimbledon Mens' Titles. It’s not difficult to think why. He’s unbeaten on grass since 2002. That is 29 straight wins and counting and you have to look at the field and wonder who can dethrone him.

Well let us look at the facts. He’s lost this years two Grand Slam events, beaten by Marat Safin in the Australian Open and then by the young Spanish sensation Rafael Nadal in the French Open. It does seem to suggest that he’s gone off the boil - that he’s susceptible to hungrier opponents in the big matches. There’s an element of truth in this synopsis, but he does have a game that when it clicks is just on a higher plain than anyone out there. Sure he might lose the odd one, but on grass at Wimbledon, he has been a cut above the rest.

But the question that needs to be asked is whether he’s value at odds on. Currently his price is 8/15 with Stan James bookmakers. Two schools of thought here I suppose. If you are confident that the man has what it takes, then steam in large, sit back and wait to collect a fortnight Sunday. If you believe that he has shown signs lately of vulnerability then look elsewhere for the winner.

Well who’s got the game to take him on. Andy Roddick has to figure as a runner. A big serve and volleyer, who has a wealth of experience around SW19. He’s a tough opponent for anyone, but you suspect he might not have the mental capacity to out gun Federer. Seeded two, the 4/1 reflects the fact that he is well capable of at least getting to the Final now that he is at opposite ends of the draw to Federer. The feisty little Aussie Leyton Hewitt also has an intimate knowledge of what’s needed to do well here. He’s tenacious and has been Champion here twice. At 12/1 we are looking at much better value but he’ll be in Federer’s side of the draw.

Next we have Mario Ancic at 14/1, who was a semi-finalist last year and has a penchant for grass. He has a big serve so could do well, but his form has not been that great this year. Marat Safin has always disappointed at Wimbledon. The man has obvious talent but the surface just doesn’t really suit his game. At 18/1 it’s a shortish price.

Now we come to our Timmy. Pride of the nation and every housewife’s favourite son, Tim Henman becomes a legendary figure for a fortnight and we all would like to see him win. He’s been in four Semi Finals, but this could be the last serious throw of the dice for the Tiger. At 20/1 with Stan James bookmakers he’s good value. The crowd support alone is worth a lot, and he could just surprise us all. But the value bet has to be the Spanish youngster Rafael Nadal at 22/1. It might not exactly be the surface he relishes but he is a serious prospect and the fact that he beat Federer on the way to winning the French Open will do him no harm at all. This kid will go on to big things, so stick with him and he’s definitely worth a punt. Another young gun on the up is Richard Gasquet, he played his first Wimbledon last year but went out early. Expect him to do much better this year. Certainly one for the future and he’s a 25/1 shot to win. Other with chances include Joachim Johansson (25’s), Nalbandian (33’s) and Ljubicic (33’s)

Ladies Singles

This years Ladies Title appears to be wide open, although the usual suspects will be in the mix. Last year’s winner and all round babe, Maria Sharapova defends her title knowing that she will have to up her game if she is to succeed. When she won, her opponents were struggling to get to grips with her game, as she was relatively new on the scene. A year later they have had time to assess her strengths and weaknesses and she has struggled a bit to kick on and really dominate the Ladies game. But she is still joint favourite at 11/4 and you’ll certainly get a run for your money. Sharing favouritism with her is Justine Henin-Hardenne. Now the Belgian had her injury problems earlier in the year but has bounced back in stunning style when she won this year’s French Open. If she is firing on all cylinders she’ll be hard to beat and her record at Wimbledon is very good. Next at 7/2 is Serena Williams. She has bags of experience but has had injury problems this year after winning the Australian Open title in January. On grass she is a real danger though and if her time away from the circuit has recharged her batteries then she could very easily win this. Kim Cljisters has also had injury problems on her wrist and she was out of the game for over a year. When she returned though she showed signs of her old self by turning in some fine performances. The one negative is that she has not won a Grand Slam event yet. She’s priced at 5/1.

At 10/1 with Stan James bookmakers we have Venus Williams, whose record at Wimbledon is second to none, but is struggling to recapture any sort of form this year. If anything will inspire her it is SW19, but it seems her best days are over. The same could be said of Linsay Davenport, who seems to have been around forever. But be careful here. Do not dismiss her chances. She is seeded Number One and on grass she is a real handful. She can be inconsistent, but is very capable of winning this. At 12/1 she’s a very good bet! The Russian influence in Ladies tennis is still very much alive and one outsider worth a strong mention is Svetlana Kuznetsova at 20/1. She won her first Grand Slam title in the US Open last year and although her Wimbledon form is not sparkling, she’ll look at the field and will know she can beat anyone on her day. If she gets a good start she could be a real contender. The other Russians in the brigade all have chances. Dementiava (40-1) has struggled with injury and a little self doubt too, but has been in two Grand Slam finals last year. Myskina (40-1) won her first Grand Slam title last year and has therefore shown her ability to perform under pressure. This year though she has struggled to recapture that form so will need to improve significantly to win this. Finally Nadia Petrova at 66-1 could be an outsider worth noting. Ranked 8th in the world her Wimbledon form is patchy, as she seems to prefer clay. But her semi final appearance in the French Open shows she has the ability to mix it with the best. One last player to mention is always a threat. Amelia Mauresmo is a big hitter who has always played well at Wimbledon. She’ll battle all day and her strength could be her secret weapon. At 25/1 you know you’ll get a run for your money.

It should be a fascinating Ladies Singles event this year. It really is wide open. Mary Pierce getting to the French Open final illustrated to us that there are inconsistency marks against all the leading contenders. We could just see a shock winner this time around.

Stan James bookmakers will have an array of betting opportunities for the Wimbledon fortnight. Stan James bookmakers will be betting In-Running during all the live matches and if games become uncompetitive Stan James bookmakers will endeavour to come up with new markets to keep everyone stimulated.