John McEnroe’s Wimbledon predictions featuring Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka

Iga Swiatek v Coco Gauff v Naomi Osaka

John McEnroe believes “big hitters” Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka are more suited to winning Wimbledon this year, but he admits the “door is open” for anyone to win the women’s title.

A first-time champion has been crowned at the All England Club in the last six editions with Serena Williams the last player to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish more than once as she won seven titles.

Last year Marketa Vondrousova was the surprise package as the Czech defeated two-time finalist Ons Jabeur in straight sets to become the first unseeded women’s player to win the title.

Rybakina was seeded 17th when she lifted the trophy back in 2022 while Ashleigh Barty won the title as world No 1 in 2021 before retiring the following year.

It is once again hard to predict who will walk away with the title this year, but you expect the regulars to be there or thereabout.

Although Iga Swiatek is world No 1 and fresh from winning her fifth Grand Slam title with victory at Roland Garros, grass is not her favourite surface.

Coco Gauff has reached a new career-high of No 2 and won her maiden major at the US Open last year and, according to McEnroe, she is better on grass than Swiatek.

But American great McEnroe ultimately favours Rybakina and two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka due to their power hitting.

“Coco Gauff is a great player. She’s got the major (US Open title in 2023) and knows how to play on the grass. She’s more comfortable on it than Iga Swiatek is,” he told Metro.co.uk.

“That doesn’t mean Iga isn’t going to figure something out, but she’s more vulnerable on grass than any other surface. It opens the door for some other players.

“Elena Rybakina, the way she plays, it suits her game more and it’s the same for Aryna Sabalenka, they are big hitters.”

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Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka returns to Wimbledon this year for the first time since 2019 with her best performance a couple of runs to the third round.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has done well in recent months after taking the 2023 season off to give birth to her first child, a daughter named Shai in July last year.

Osaka is also a “big hitter”, but she has yet to crack it on grass.

McEnroe added: “It’ll be interesting to see what Naomi Osaka can do on the grass. The door is open, for sure.”