Back after a one-year absence, the shortened grass season makes for a mad scramble this year at Wimbledon.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will try to secure a historic victory in becoming the first man to win the opening three majors of the year since Rod Laver in 1969. At the same time, Djokovic can also win his third straight Wimbledon trophy and tie Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic comes in as an overwhelming favourite at -125 to lift the trophy and only had two weeks to prepare, one week shorter than normal since winning Roland Garros. The five-time Wimbledon champion did not play a singles tune-up leading up to Wimbledon but he did get in some doubles, making the final in Mallorca to help the transition from clay to grass.  

Rafael Nadal would have likely been one of the top-five favourites this year, however the two-time champion decided to skip not only Wimbledon but the Olympics as well, insisting his body needed a break after a long clay-court season.

Nadal’s withdrawal opens the door for the second-ranked player in the world, Daniil Medvedev, who has the next best odds after Djokovic at +700. The two-time major finalist won his first career grass-court tournament in Mallorca this past week, so he’ll be looking to make his way through the bottom of the draw where he is projected to meet Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.

Federer made the smart decision to pull out of Roland Garros ahead of his fourth-round match, giving him much needed rest heading into Wimbledon. With Djokovic playing a ton of tennis lately, along with Nadal’s absence, this could be his last best shot at another Grand Slam title. Federer played one tournament leading into Wimbledon, losing his second match to Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and has the fourth-best odds to win at +1000.

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- Matteo Berrettini to make the quarter-finals -120

Italians historically haven’t had much success on grass, but Berrettini appears ready to make a deep run at Wimbledon.

The World No. 8 is coming off his biggest career title at Queen’s Club last week and two of his five career titles have come on the rarely used surface. His section is loaded with clay-courters and if he can get past John Isner in the third round, a spot in the final eight looks secure. His career 78.3 per cent win record on grass is also by far his best surface.

- Grigor Dimitrov to be eliminated before the third round -120

Dimitrov enjoyed his first career major semi-final at Wimbledon, but that was seven years ago and the 30-year old isn’t the same player he once was. Seeded 18th this year, Dimitrov has two straight first- round losses at Wimbledon and is also coming off a back injury at Roland Garros – and he hasn’t played since.

Although he is a favourite in his first match against Fernando Verdasco, a potential second-round match with Alexander Bublik is sure to serve up some problems. Bublik won their only career meeting in 2019 and his serve-and-volley style is well suited for the surface.  

Serena still searching for 24

It’s hard to believe that Serena Williams hasn’t won a Grand Slam since 2017. The 23-time major champion remains one back of Margaret Court for the most all-time and despite going trophy less over the past four years, she’s still made four finals and two semifinals during the drought.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion has also made the past two finals and thanks to withdrawals from Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep, she comes in as the co-favourite with Ashleigh Barty at +600. The world No. 1 Aussie hasn’t played since injuring her hip at Roland Garros and also has just a 56 per cent match winning record at Wimbledon, by far her least successful slam.  

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- Aryna Sabalenka to make the fourth round -130

The Grand Slam struggles for Aryna Sabalenka continued at Roland Garros as she was upset in the third round, leaving her without a final eight appearance in 14 majors. Now at Wimbledon, the Belarusian is seeded No. 2 for the first time at a Grand Slam and has the draw to make it to the second week.

She only has one career win at the All England club, but with three qualifiers in her section and a 2-0 record against her potential third-round opponent (Ekaterina Alexandrova), Sabalenka should finally make a deep run at a Grand Slam.

- Cori Gauff not to make the fourth round -120

There is no doubt Cori Gauff is destined for a long successful career on the WTA tour, having already proven herself making the fourth round in her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon two years ago and the quarter-finals earlier this month at Roland Garros. But now as a seeded player, there is added pressure to perform along with a difficult draw in her section.

The 17-year-old takes on British player Francesca Jones and then likely former semi-finalist Elena Vesnina in round two before a potential showdown with Belinda Bencic. The No. 9 seed defeated Gauff earlier this year in their only matchup and is coming off a great result in Berlin where she made the final, while Gauff lost in the round of 16 at her only pre-Wimbledon tournament in Eastbourne.