Sharapova the one to beat

This year's women's event at Wimbledon looks set to be the most open in years with any number of players including the defending champion Venus Williams all capable of coming away with the trophy.

Justine Henin-Hardenne will be many people's favourite after following up her French Open victory with her first grasscourt title in Eastbourne on Saturday.

The Belgian needs Wimbledon to complete the full set of Grand Slam titles but winning in Paris and at Wimbledon is no easy matter and Roland Garros took an awful lot out of the Belgian.

She is in the tougher half of the draw and I am not sure she will quite have the physical strength to get through seven matches.

Maria Sharapova is my idea of the likely winner. The Russian, champion two years ago, played really well in Paris despite an ankle problem and should enjoy the relative softness of the grass.

Her serve is probably the best in the game, her groundstrokes can be devastating and no one, not even Henin-Hardenne fights the way she does. She also has a good draw and at 5-2 is a solid bet for the win.

Amelie Mauresmo is top seed and could go close but her woeful effort at the French Open may have rocked her confidence, but Kim Clijsters will fancy her chances, despite losing to Henin-Hardenne both in Paris and at Eastbourne.

There is no Serena this year, but sister Venus has been showing some encouraging signs of form and could well defend her title. At 6-1 she is no great price but knows what it takes to win at Wimbledon and will take some beating if she can repeat last year's efforts.

Others to watch out for include Martina Hingis, whose shots will get a bit more reward than on the slower surfaces and Svetlana Kuznetsova, who came so close in Paris.

But Sharapova, if she is close to full fitness, will be the one to beat with Venus not too far behind.