It is quickly becoming a cliché to label the women’s singles draw at a Grand Slam ‘wide open’ but it is definitely true at Wimbledon 2017. So many players are capable of beating anyone else if they produce their best tennis in a given match and so many have the talent to win a major title. With that in mind, the best indicators for success at SW19 this year are likely to be grass court ability, big-match temperament, and extraordinary potential. The following contenders possess plenty of these qualities:

Karolina Pliskova

The tall Czech has the second-best serve in the women’s game which immediately gives her a huge advantage on grass. She also possesses an excellent forehand and a good backhand. She is ice-cool on the court and never gets overwhelmed by the match situation.

Her tactical game has improved in recent years too and she now has the experience of going far in Grand Slams (US Open RU 2016, French Open SF 2017). Despite developments in her movement, it remains her biggest weakness. However, that is arguably less important on grass where first-strike tennis is so effective. Her trophy win at Eastbourne, the last tournament before Wimbledon, should mean she is considered the favorite for the title at SW19.

Venus Williams

The American is the most experienced player on the WTA tour and a 5-time Wimbledon champion, so there are very few situations she has not seen before. Like Pliskova, she has a powerful, accurate serve and superb groundstrokes. She is also similar to the Czech in terms of her movement, as it is one of her biggest weaknesses. Another potential problem for Venus is her tendency to go through spells of poor play during a match, which could cost her if her opponent is performing particularly well. Definitely capable of becoming the oldest-ever Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion in the Open era this year.

Jelena Ostapenko

The Latvian, 20, is the name on everyone’s lips after her amazing triumph at Roland Garros and there is absolutely no reason why she cannot go on to win many more Grand Slams. She is one of the best ball-strikers to join the WTA tour in the last 25 years and can turn a match within the space of a few minutes by hitting a succession of huge winners.

Ostapenko also has an excellent temperament for one so young and plays with a fearlessness that scares opponents. She needs to work on improving her serve and her movement around the court, but she has a chance to become the first player to win a second Grand Slam immediately after her maiden title since Chris Evert achieved the feat in 1974.

Petra Kvitova

With her superb serve, brilliant groundstrokes, good tactical awareness, big-occasion temperament, and accomplished drive volleys, the two-time Wimbledon champion is virtually unstoppable on grass at her best. She dispatched all her opponents with ease en route to the Birmingham final, then came back well from a set down to win the final, and all parts of her huge game look to be in good working order. So far we have not seen any ill-effects from her hand surgery, but repeated strain could potentially cause her pain. Kvitova is always a potential title winner at SW19 – whatever her preparation is like.

Garbine Muguruza

It is very difficult to know what to expect from Muguruza as she is very inconsistent, but she is definitely capable of winning Wimbledon, as she demonstrated during her run to the final in 2015. That year, she beat Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska, Caroline Wozniacki, and Timea Bacsinszky – all players who have gone deep in Grand Slams.

And Muguruza found some form in Birmingham as she reached the semi-final, but it then deserted her in Eastbourne as she lost 1-6 0-6 to Barbora Strycova. If the right Muguruza turns up at SW19, she could go all the way to the title. If not, an early exit beckons.

Coco Vandeweghe

The big-serving, big-hitting American has a 46-19 career win-loss record on grass and has been in superb form on the surface in recent years, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-final in 2015 and the fourth round in 2016, winning Hertogenbosch and reaching the semi-final of Birmingham in 2016, and reaching the quarter-final in Birmingham in 2017. Vandeweghe reached her first-ever Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open in January 2017 and will be a contender for the Wimbledon title if she recovers fully from the foot injury that forced her to retire from the Aegon Classic.

Ana Konjuh

The talented Croatian reached round three of Wimbledon when she was just 16, won Nottingham aged 17 and made it to the semi-final at Hertogenbosch this year at the age of 19, so she has plenty of grass-court pedigree under her belt already. She also reached her first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final at US Open 2016.

Konjuh suffered a heart-breaking moment in the second round at SW19 last year when she slipped and twisted her ankle during the final set of her match against Agnieszka Radwanska. She looked on course for victory and may have advanced much further in the tournament without the slip. This year she will have a chance to eradicate those painful memories.

Anett Kontaveit

In the past three months, tennis fans have witnessed the extraordinary rise of this fearsome ball-striker from Latvia, as she has rocketed from World No.125 to World No.37. She won the grass-court tournament in Hertogenbosch, and almost rose high enough to be a seed at Wimbledon, but she will have to be content with her status as arguably the most dangerous unseeded player in either the men’s or ladies’ draw at the tournament. Kontaveit has a huge game that includes a powerful serve and superb groundstrokes off both wings, and she will be a threat to anyone who faces her this fortnight.