Run up to Wimbledon 2011 - the Top Contenders

The question on every tennis fan's lips is who will win Wimbledon? With the French Open just rounding off to a scintillating finish, with Nadal once again reigning triumphant on the clay, we look ahead to the start of the grass court season and the Wimbledon Championships. The men's and women's competitions look set to provide brilliant entertainment, judging by the closely fought matches from Roland Garros. Wimbledon 2010 was packed full of unique moments. The marathon match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut which lasted over 11 hours, an almost unknown Tomas Berdych beating Federer and Djokovic to reach the men's final, the then world number 82, Pironkova, knocking out Venus Williams. The arrival of Djokovic in 2011 could be the first real threat to the monopoly Federer and Nadal have had on the men's trophy since 2003. In the women's events this year, shocks and surprises continue to thrill the neutral and one can only hope that Wimbledon will bring some more of these magic moments.

Rafael Nadal (World Number 1) - Rafael Nadal will surge into Wimbledon on the back of his sixth French Open triumph in seven years. At Roland Garros, Nadal himself stated that during the first week he was not playing well, but he can have few doubters now after emphatic victories over Murray and Federer. The current world number 1 will almost certainly negotiate the early rounds with ease and will provide a stern test for anyone looking to cause an upset. The knee problems that have plagued his career appear to be at rest for the time being, and a fit Nadal is a frightening prospect for anybody looking across at him over the net.

Novak Djokovic (2) - The Serb has enjoyed a breathtaking 6 months, with only one defeat all year after leading his country to Davis Cup victory. However, he was played off the court by a superb Federer in Paris and doubts will remain over his grass court credentials coming up to Wimbledon. Djokovic's two Grand Slams were won at the Australian Open and he does not have a great track record in London, but will be hoping to continue his fine run of form and progress well into the tournament. A worry for fans and neutrals alike is that he has pulled out of Queens with knee problems, however he looks likely to recover in time for the grand slam.

Roger Federer (3) - Possibly the greatest grass court player of the modern era, you would be a foolish person to write off Federer from winning a seventh Wimbledon title. Doubts lingered over whether the past champion was past his best, but a wonderful performance at Roland Garros on his least favourite surface must surely put doubts to bed. The only man to beat Djokovic this year, and the only man to take a set off Nadal at Roland Garros. Federer is back.

Andy Murray (4) - The Brit is desperate to win a first grand slam, and will have to cope with the pressures of an expectant British public in looking to become the first Briton to win a grand slam since Fred Perry. However Murray looks a step behind the top three and will have to improve his game to propel himself through the rounds in SW19. A successful tournament at Queen's where Murray breezed past Roddick in the semis, one of the best grass court players, will surely boost his confidence before visiting Wimbledon.

The rest of the pack:

Juan Martin Del Potro (22) - Widely regarded as the long term successor to the thrones of the top 4, Del Potro is back from injury and played well against Djokovic in the third round of Roland Garros but was defeated in four sets. The former US Open champion will look to dominate rallies, but his success will depend on how well he moves around the court with the quick pace of grass surfaces.

Robin Soderling (5) - The Swede has had the misfortune of having to face Federer or Nadal in the quarters or earlier in the last 4 Wimbledons so perhaps with a bit of luck in the draw he will progress to the later rounds.

Andy Roddick (10) - The American is probably the most likely player outside the top four to progress to the latter stages of the tournament. His big serves will be very damaging on the grass and he has improved his backhand significantly to become a more well-rounded player. Roddick suffered a shock exit last year to Taiwan's Le Yen-Hsun in the fourth round and will be looking to put in a better performance this year round.

Caroline Wozniacki (World Number 1) - Wozniacki has got something to prove at Wimbledon having never got past the fourth round of the tournament. An early exit at Roland Garros has left worries over whether Wozniacki will win her first Grand Slam on the grass courts of London. Her defensive style of play and powerful two-handed backhand mean that she is suited to a counter-attacking style of play, but perhaps to win this year the Dane will have to be more aggressive.

Kim Clijsters (2) - The Belgian mother retired to raise her daughter but since her return has won two of the last three grand slams she has played in. Clijsters would like to reach a first Wimbledon final this year, however all of her Slam victories have come on the hard courts of Australia or America. A quarter finalist last year, she has the potential to go all the way.

Vera Zvonareva (3) - Last year's losing finalist will be keen to go one better this year and clinch a first Grand Slam. The Olympic bronze medal winner has shown the ability to reach the business end of tournaments and must finalist last year

Na Li (4) - The first Chinese player to win a Slam title, Li is fresh from triumph in Paris and will be a real contender at Wimbledon. She reached the quarter finals last year, but is continuing to improve her game and looks likely to progress far in this year's competition .

Maria Sharapova (6) - The glamorous Russian has often attracted headlines, but after reaching the semi-finals of the French Open it is clear that her tennis is matching her success off court.

Petra Kvitova (8) - A semi-finalist last year, the Czech is another who is searching for her first Grand Slam final. A young talent, a good performance could see her rise up the rankings continue.

Samantha Stosur (10) - The Australian has a poor record at Wimbledon, and watching her last year she seemed out of sorts as she was knocked out in the first round, not for the first time. I feel that for Stosur, reaching the final or semi-final would be a step too far given her track record, but could be the victim of an upset in the early rounds.

Serena and Venus Williams (25 and 32) - Injuries have plagued both sisters this year and there are doubts as to whether they will be able to participate in the tournament. Both are scheduled to play at Wimbledon, but without any match practice one doubts as to how far the sisters will go. Venus has not won a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2008 and Serena has not played any competitive tennis since winning Wimbledon last year. Perhaps the dominance of the Williams sisters in tennis has finally come to an end. Since 2000 there has only been one final contested without either of the Williams' involved so hopefully they will be fit in time to add some more spice to the women's draw.

I had to choose Federer as my favourite to win the men's tournament as he looked in such good form on the clay at Roland Garros and will improve on the grass. I would have backed Djokovic to reach the final however due to likely seedings of two and three for himself and Federer it seems they are destined to meet in the semis. For the women's draw, the decision was more difficult but, I decided to choose Zvonareva as has the most to prove after losing last year's final and will not want that disappointment of falling at the final hurdle again. Thank you for reading my Hub on Wimbledon! I hope you enjoyed it and keep an eye on this space for more Hubs as the tournament progresses. Feel free to comment below if you think I've missed out any contenders or just to give me any feedback.