The 2018 Wimbledon tournament prepares for another memorable fortnight of tennis. Serena Williams will battle with a lot of younger contenders for the crown. It should be quite an event, and like the French Open, it will have a very wide-open feel, although the list of favorites will be different in important ways when compared to Paris.
The competition in the 128-player main draw begins on Monday, July 2, in suburban London. Odds are courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
Event Details
Event: Wimbledon
Category: ITF (International Tennis Federation) Grand Slam
Date: July 2-15, 2018
Location: The All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club – Wimbledon Village, England
With a prize money total of 31.96 million British pounds (15,982,000 for both the men and women), Wimbledon not only pays the champions of both men’s and women’s singles equally; it offers the richest purse of any main-draw tennis tournament. The two end-of-season championship events – the WTA Finals and the ATP World Tour Finals – offer more money for each match won, but the prize at Wimbledon is the biggest prize of all. One thing worth noting for Wimbledon is that since it comes just a few weeks after the French Open, any player who did not do particularly well in Paris on clay gets a chance to immediately bounce back and collect a fat paycheck with a good run in suburban London. This tournament is important for any player who is not especially strong on clay, or for anyone who has struggled through the first half of the year. A big Wimbledon can be valuable on its own, but it’s also important as a catapult into the second half of the season, which in 2018 will be more immediate. There will not be as big a break before the summer hardcourt season in America.
Points
Champion – 2,000 points
Runner-up – 1,300
Semifinal – 780
Quarterfinal – 430
Round of 16 – 240
Round of 32 – 130
Round of 64 – 70
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2017 – Garbine Muguruza def. Venus Williams – 7-5, 6-0
2016 – Serena Williams def. Angelique Kerber – 7-5, 6-3
2015 – Serena Williams d. Garbine Muguruza – 6-4, 6-4
2014 – Petra Kvitova def. Eugenie Bouchard – 6-3. 6-0
2013 – Marion Bartoli def. Sabine Lisicki – 6-1, 6-4
Player Info:
Simona Halep is the No. 1 seed, coming off her first major title at the French Open. Will Halep be a confident player or a player who relaxes and doesn’t show as much intensity as she did in Paris? That’s a big question for this tournament.
Another huge story is Petra Kvitova’s pursuit of a third Wimbledon. This one would be the most special, because Kvitova was attacked in her own home a year and a half ago and had to take several months to heal from the violent attack. She defended the WTA Birmingham title from last year, securing that grass title for the second straight season. She seems ready, but she has not made the second week of Wimbledon since her win in 2014. She is no sure thing.
French Open runner-up Sloane Stephens has a complete game: an above-average serve, strong groundstrokes, and excellent court coverage. She will be a factor.
Madison Keys played Stephens in the French Open semifinals. Her huge serve is a big weapon on grass, but the problem is that Keys could run into Serena Williams in the fourth round. Serena might not be fully physically restored. She had to withdraw from the French Open during the tournament due to concerns about her shoulder, which would affect her ability to serve. If Serena is fully healthy, she can make a run, but that’s going to be hard for her to deal with over seven matches and two weeks.
Defending champion Garbine Muguruza and last year’s runner-up, Venus Williams, will both be contenders, but they have both been erratic this season and are question marks heading into this tournament.
The All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All-England Club sits at the heart of the history of tennis. It is rooted in the development of the sport. It gave rise to the first champions of tennis. It is the cradle of tennis and the site of the most famous occasions witnessed throughout the past 140 years. The other three Grand Slam tournaments all have their place, but Wimbledon will always be the most famous tennis tournament in the world. This large complex with multiple stadium courts continues to be the home of The Championships, as they are called in Britain.
