World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka arrives at Wimbledon after a disappointing quarterfinal exit at the French Open, leaving her hungry for a deeper run at a Grand Slam. The recent Wimbledon draw might present a favorable path for the Belarusian star to achieve her goal, though she can expect stiff competition throughout the tournament.

Her first-round opponent would be the American Emina Bektas. With over 100 ranking gaps between the two players, Bektas poses almost no threat to Sabalenka’s beginning. Though the American would hope for a wishful turnaround, if Sabalenka’s journey throughout the year is proof, she would deny the surprise for the opponent.

However, her next opponent might be a tough one if it’s in the form of Donna Vekic. Sabalenka has a disheartening record against Vekic, with 6-2 favoring the latter in their 8 meetings. Though the World No.3 would want to brush aside every threat, the jitters from the past could derail her campaign. Hence, the Belarusian would be hoping for Chinese Xinyuan Wang as her opponent, with a clean history.

After crushing the challenges of Vekic and Wang, Sabalenka could face either of the three – Lesia Tsurenko, Dayana Yastremska, and Nadia Podoroska. Of the three, only Tsurenko has managed to defeat the Belarusian star back in 2018, while the other two are yet to face her. However, there is a gap in their rankings and performance as of 2024. Hence 3R shall pass too, with relative ease. But things would get intense as she moves onto the next round, as Mirra Andreeva might await her.

In the 4R, it could be either of these tennis stars- Karolina Muchova, Mirra Andreeva, or Daria Kasatkina- who would look forward to crushing Sabalenka on the Grass. Sabalenka leads H2H records against Andreeva (2-1) and Kasatkina (7-2), while Muchova overpowers the World N0.3 in their meetings with 2-1. Sabalenka may let Kasatkina’s threat slide. However, Muchova and Andreeva may prove to be dangerous as they have won their last clashes against Sabalenka. While Andreeva crushed her hopes for the French Open grand slam in 2024. Muchova was the one to do the same in 2023. Moreover, in the last two cases, Muchova has come out on the top. Sabalenka may have to dig deep if her opponent poses the same challenge as before.

If Sabalenka is able to crush her opponents, her quarterfinal match up could be a new experience for her if she faces Qinwen Zheng and Emma Raducanu. But it could also be Maria Sakkari, against whom Sabalenka has a favorable record 7-3. Whosoever she faces, Sabalenka would enter court with positive vibes owing to her favorable record and confidence. While Raducanu would be looking to prove herself on the Grass.

However, Raducanu’s journey to the quarterfinal would need her to expend every ounce of strength, courage, and grit to get through her initial rounds. Despite the backing of a home crowd at the Wimbledon, she would have to face Ekaterina Alexandrova, a tough opponent to beat on the grass. Following her successful start, Maria Sakkari and Qinwen Zheng might await her in the next rounds. Wimbledon would certainly be the testing ground of Raducanu’s form after her win over Jessica Pegula.

But with records and ranking on Sabalenka’s side, tennis fans would be looking to ensure her fitness after an injury scare at the Berlin Open. Though the World No.3 was seen smiling shortly after her withdrawal and recently hitting gym with her boyfriend, any hint of injury leads to doubt in the mind of everyone.

Would Berlin Open injury scare become a roadblock in Aryna Sabalenka’s Grass Court campaign?

Sabalenka withdrew from the Berlin Open match in just 15 minutes against Anna Kalinskaya, due to issues with her shoulder. Despite trying to push herself to compete, Sabalenka opted to take a step back, as a stitch in time saves nine, and to escape any unfavorable outcome. Certainly a wise decision, as Wimbledon was just around the corner then. But this step gave rise to worries in tennis fans’ minds, though Sabalenka has tried to elevate those worries in various ways.

Right after exiting the tournament, she was seen smiling and having fun with her boyfriend. Moreover, the couple hit the gym together where World No. 3 was busy doing cardio, as she teased her boyfriend. She said, “After that, he went to the gym.”  But was there any major issue, and has she successfully recovered? These questions still linger around, with a new one: how would this scare affect her Wimbledon Open chances?