Weapons: Massive ground strokes, supreme mental toughness, hungry for slam success
Weaknesses: Serve and double faults still an issue

After winning Rome, it was clear to all that Masha was indeed back, and a real favourite for the remaining majors of 2011. She won Wimbledon back as a wee one, but she still possesses the ability to, with ridiculous power from both wings that whizz through the grass due to her height. My favourite to win the tournament.

Weapons: Forgot how to lose, upped the strength of his ground strokes, dealing with low bounces incredibly well
Weaknesses: Not as powerful as other top guys

Amongst the madness of another Rafa RG and Fedal final, people seemed to have completely forgotten about Nole in the mean time. He’s only lost once all year and has looked nearly flawless in every part of his game. However, grass has never been his best surface, and he’ll face a real test here. Luckily, his return and his ability to handle lower balls and bounces when coming towards the net has been exceptional. I’d look for this to be the best Wimbledon Nole has ever had.

Weapons: Solid and consistent from both wings and the serve. Mental skills have become a plus, not a negative
Weaknesses: Tends to counter-punch better, has trouble keeping up with the biggest hitters

It’s been another solid year for Vera, who continues to prove time after time that she can step it up in the majors. Last year’s finalist continues to have lots to prove, and impresses with her new found mental muscle. She’s got a great draw this time around, and could pick up some real momentum if she can knock off the next couple of seeds easily.

Weapons: Playing well of late, excellent returning, fantastic defense
Weaknesses: Random brain lapses, bonus hometown pressure

Andy will likely be one of the top 4 to land in the final 4, but he needs to sort it out in the business end. Andy has looked like a dear in the headlights the past two years, fighting valiantly, but really just losing crucial points, and losing out. Luckily for him, his draw is fantastic, and another semifinal showdown vs. Rafa might just go his way. Rafa isn’t quite the player he was last year, and Muzz seems to slowly be figuring out his brain and his concentration out. Look for a great match-up in the semis between Rafa and Andy, I think.

Weapons: Huge serve, forehand, great movement on grass
Weaknesses: Health issues, hasn’t played much over the past year

Venus’ game on grass is truly the work of the tennis gods. For as awkward, lanky, and clumsy as she might look on hard courts or clay, she looks equally as graceful and smooth on grass. Her match on Monday is proof of that, driving through Akgul without facing a break point. However, she hasn’t played much over the past year obviously, and does seem to have blip matches where she can’t seem to get the parts moving in harmony, and is a mess tactically. Venus should be able to do well here, but don’t be surprised if she falls earlier than you expected.

Weapons: One of the greatest serves ever, solid net game
Weaknesses: Lost some power off the forehand, weaker backhand, lost some of the aggressive tendencies of a couple years ago

With a serve as good as Roddick’s, it’s impossible to count him out. Unfortunately, questions still remain. His interest to get forward and dictate play from a couple years ago seems to have all but disappeared, and it’s crucial he keeps that aggressive style in mind if he wants to go far. If the conditions stay rough, this might not help out his serve either, as things slow down. It’s tough to know with Andy, we’ll have to go match to match, more than anything.

Weapons: Flat, driving power off both wings, solid serve
Weaknesses: Can play down to her opponent’s level, lacks much variety beyond the baseline

Fresh off her Roland Garros win, Nails has to be feeling good going into Wimbledon. She proved that she can play with consistent power and beat the best in the world. She’s had grass success before, and should be able to do that here. Unfortunately, she hasn’t gotten the kindest of draws, despite an awesome ranking, and this tournament will be a real test of what she’s made of.

Weapons: Extremely athletic, huge serve and a good net game
Weaknesses: Power off the forehand and backhand doesn’t live up to the serve, can be a bit too passive sometimes

For me, Jo is one of the most exciting and enjoyable players to watch on tour when he is playing well. He’s incredibly athletic and has a bomb of a serve, which makes for a fun and pretty unique combo, to be honest. Unfortunately, being a good athlete does not automatically translate to being a good tennis player, and Jo is guilty of letting his brain fly out the window at times. However, his play in Queen’s was an excellent sign that he’s willing to step up and play hard on the grass. If he can keep the serve working, come to the net, and stay aggressive, he should be able to match his quarterfinal appearance from last year.

Weapons: Crazy consistent, mentally solid as a rock
Weaknesses: Lacking the power to really break through on grass

I’m sure some people will cry “no weapons!” and others will be disappointed that I’ve stuck the number 1 seed at the 6th spot. Regardless of what you think, you always have to give Caro a legitimate shot at the final 8. She works hard through the year, plays consistent tennis and earns a high ranking which in turn lets her cruise through a few rounds at slams. The fact of the matter, however, is that if Caro is going to break through and win a slam eventually, this isn’t going to be the first one.

Weapons: Huge serve, massive forehand
Weaknesses: Hits incredibly flat and is rather tall, making low balls difficult for him

Sod is one of those tricky guys where it’s tough to know. He possesses a big forehand and even bigger serve that absolutely fly on grass and should be good to overpower many an opponent. On the other side, he hits incredibly straight and flat with next to zero wrist, which means low balls on grass are tricky. It’s why he excels on clay where the ball sits up, similarly to Sam Stosur. I think he’s a safe bet for the final 8, but unlikely to cause an upset to reach the semis.