Wimbledon 2024: Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu are among the women to watch
Aryna Sabalenka during a training session at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, which begins on July 1st, on Tuesday June 25, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Here are some of the women to watch at Wimbledon, which starts at the All England Club on Monday:
Iga Swiatek
Ranking: 1
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Poland
Age: 23
2024 Record: 45-4
2024 Titles: 5
Career Titles: 22
Grand Slam Titles: 5 — French Open (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), U.S. Open (2022)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-Lost in the Quarterfinals, 2022-Lost in the 3rd Round, 2021-4th, 2019-1st, 2018-Did Not Play
Aces: Has not played since winning the French Open on June 8 for her fifth Grand Slam championship, including four of the past five titles in Paris. ... Is now 5-0 in major finals. ... Wimbledon is the only major tournament where she has not been to at least the semifinals. ... Voted WTA Player of the Year in 2023 for second season in a row; Serena Williams was the last to get that honor consecutively, doing so from 2012-15.
FILE - Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova celebrates with the trophy after beating Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in the women's singles final on day thirteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Saturday, July 15, 2023. This year's Wimbledon tournament begins on Monday, July 1.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
She Said It: "Winning five Slams seems pretty surreal. I would never expect it when I was younger.”
Read All About It: ‘The One Where She Wins Her Fifth Grand Slam’
Coco Gauff
Ranking: 2
Career-Best Ranking: 2
Country: United States
Age: 20
2024 Record: 32-10
2024 Titles: 2
Career Titles: 7
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2023)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-1st, 2022-3rd, 2021-4th, 2019-4th, 2018-DNP
Aces: Has reached at least the semifinals at each of the past three majors. ... Won the U.S. Open last year — the first American teenager to triumph there since Serena Williams in 1999. ... Won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June, teaming with Katerina Siniakova. ... Started working with coach Brad Gilbert after a first-round exit at Wimbledon in 2023.
She Said It: “I’m not going to put a number (on) how many (majors) I want to win. But as many as I can.”
Read All About It: Gauff’s first Slam trophy came at age 19
Aryna Sabalenka
Ranking: 3
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Belarus
Age: 26
2024 Record: 30-9
2024 Titles: 1
Career Titles: 14
Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (2023, 2024)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-SF, 2022-DNP, 2021-SF, 2019-1st, 2018-1st
Aces: A semifinalist each of her past two Wimbledon appearances; was unable to enter the tournament in 2022 because all players from her country were banned after Belarus helped Russia attack Ukraine. ... Won the past two Australian Open titles. ... Has a record of 54-9 in her last 11 major tournaments. She was 16-14 in her first 14. ... Briefly ranked No. 1 last season.
She Said It: “I mean, definitely Grand Slams — that’s the goal for everyone. And definitely, everyone feels the pressure.”
Read All About It: Sabalenka’s first major championship was about persistence
Elena Rybakina
Ranking: 4
Career-Best Ranking: 3
Country: Kazakhstan
Age: 25
2024 Record: 35-7
2024 Titles: 3
Career Titles: 8
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Wimbledon (2022)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-QF, 2022-Won Championship, 2021-4th, 2019-DNP, 2018-DNP
Aces: Won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2022, but did not get the usual rankings bump because no points were awarded by the tours there that year. ... Her title defense at the All England Club last year ended in the quarterfinals. ... Was the runner-up at the Australian Open in 2023.
She Said It: “I think I can play on all the surfaces. Of course, looking back to the results, grass, I will say, is the favorite, because it’s fast.”
Read All About It: Rybakina’s Wimbledon title came with a muted response
Marketa Vondrousova
Ranking: 6
Career-Best Ranking: 6
Country: Czech Republic
Age: 25 on Friday
2024 Record: 16-10
2024 Titles: Zero
Career Titles: 2
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — Wimbledon (2023)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-W, 2022-DNP, 2021-2nd, 2019-1st, 2018-1st
Aces: Has just two tour-level titles so far — but one came at a Grand Slam tournament, Wimbledon last year. ... Owned a 1-4 career record at Wimbledon before going 7-0 en route to last year's championship. ... The left-hander has been sidelined for chunks of time because of wrist problems.
She Said It: “On grass, I didn’t play so good, so I would never have thought of (winning Wimbledon)."
Read All About It: Vondrousova is a unique champion
Emma Raducanu
Ranking: 168
Career-Best Ranking: 10
Country: Britain
Age: 21
2024 Record: 13-8
2024 Titles: Zero
Career Titles: 1
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2021)
Last 5 Wimbledons: 2023-DNP, 2022-2nd, 2021-4th, 2019-DNP, 2018-DNP
Aces: A series of injuries — including three operations last year — and frequent coaching changes have made recent seasons tough for the 2021 U.S. Open champion. ... Played as well as ever during the Eastbourne grass-court tuneup the week before Wimbledon, including the first win of her career against a member of the top 10, Jessica Pegula. ... Certain to get plenty of attention and plenty of support from the home crowds at the All England Club.
She Said It: “I have been going through some stuff, so to come through has been really nice.”
Read All About It: Raducanu was 18 when she became the first qualifier to win a Slam title
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press