Grass power rankings: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka lead the way ahead of Wimbledon
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Published 14/06/2023 at 09:14 GMT
Who are the top grass players around on the ATP and WTA tours this summer? We 'power rank' the top five men and women ahead of Wimbledon. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be aiming to win Wimbledon for an eighth time and equal Roger Federer's record. On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek could all be in contention at SW19.
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The grass season is under way with tournaments around Europe as players look to get in sync with the surface ahead of Wimbledon.
The third Grand Slam of the season starts in just three weeks time and there will be plenty of star names hoping to lift the trophy at SW19.
But who are the top contenders to win silverware on grass this summer?
From Novak Djokovic to Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek to Daniil Medvedev, we 'power rank' the top five men and top five women.
ATP Grass Power Rankings
1 - Novak Djokovic
An easy one.
French Open champion Djokovic has said he won’t play another grass event other than Wimbledon – he hasn’t done so since 2018 – but he’s still the best player around on the surface.
He has won the last four editions of Wimbledon and this year will be aiming to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight titles, while also looking to complete the third part of the Calendar Slam.
Djokovic might have dropped six sets on his way to victory at Wimbledon last year but with his Grand Slam pedigree and experience he is still the one to beat on the surface.
2 - Carlos Alcaraz
The world No. 2 gets the No. 2 spot.
Carlos Alcaraz, who is set to feature at Queens, doesn’t have much experience on grass – just six matches in his career, all at Wimbledon - but he has played so well on hard courts and clay in 2023 that it’s not hard to imagine him transitioning well to the surface.
He has huge power, which always helps on grass, moves incredibly well, has a serve that can win him free points, and is now a bona fide superstar of the sport.
It took Rafael Nadal just three tries to reach the Wimbledon final for the first time. Could Alcaraz do the same on his third appearance at the Grand Slam?
3 - Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz could be primed to do some damage on grass this summer.
Last year he won Eastbourne and then made the Wimbledon quarter-finals, where he twice led by a set against a struggling Rafael Nadal before going down in five.
He’s had a decent season so far, including a run to the Monte Carlo semi-finals, with his big serve and groundstrokes set to see him be a force again on grass.
4 - Daniil Medvedev
Once a hard-court specialist, Daniil Medvedev showed big improvements on clay over the last few months – could grass be the next frontier for him?
Medvedev is already some of the way there as he made two grass finals last year before being unable to play Wimbledon due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
He will return this year after the ban was lifted and seems to be playing with confidence and positivity again, despite an early exit from the French Open.
5 - Jannik Sinner
A year ago Matteo Berrettini and Nick Kyrgios would definitely have featured in the top five, but Wimbledon might come too soon after they both lost on their respective returns from injuries this week.
Andy Murray was very close to making the cut after his positive start to the grass season in Surbiton, but the nod just goes to Jannik Sinner.
The world No. 9 has only played nine tour-level matches on grass but was impressive at Wimbledon last year, taking out Stan Wawrinka, John Isner and Carlos Alcaraz to make the quarters, where he won the first two sets against Djokovic before losing in five.
Sinner is still lacking a big tournament win against his name but could be one to keep an eye on this summer.
WTA Grass Power Rankings
1 - Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka has been arguably the player of the season so far on the WTA Tour – and she looks like the one to beat on grass.
The Belarusian made the Wimbledon semis in 2021 before not appearing last year due to the aforementioned ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
Eurosport expert Tim Henman praised her “enormous firepower” at the French Open and on grass her serve, groundstrokes, and new-found confidence in her game should be even more of a factor.
If she can quickly move on from her crushing French Open semi-final loss to Karolina Muchova then she should be the favourite for Wimbledon.
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Muchova v Sabalenka - French Open highlights
2 - Elena Rybakina
Not world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, but world No. 3 Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina deserves second spot not only because she is defending Wimbledon champion, but because she has built very impressively on that success and has compiled a strong 2023 campaign.
Like Sabalenka she has the weapons to excel on grass and should be a major factor over the next month.
3 - Iga Swiatek
As of yet, Iga Swiatek has not shown that she can thrive on grass as she has elsewhere.
While she has dominated on clay and hard courts, grass is a world that she admitted after her latest French Open win that she still hasn’t “figured out yet”.
Last season she didn’t play a competitive match on the surface before losing in the third round at Wimbledon to bring an end to her 37-match winning streak. This summer she plans to prepare for SW19 by playing on grass in the Bad Homburg Open.
The extra court time should prove beneficial for Swiatek, who may not have quite the same firepower as Sabalenka and Rybakina, but has the skill and tactical brilliance to do well on the surface.
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4 - Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur might have exited the French Open in the quarter-finals against Beatriz Haddad Maia, but she left the tournament with a positive outlook and her sights on winning Wimbledon.
“I want to enjoy playing on grass because I do enjoy a lot. I’m hoping to go and get the title really in Wimbledon. I’m dreaming about it. It’s something that I always wanted.”
Jabeur led by a set in last year’s Wimbledon final before losing to Rybakina.
Her game seems to translate well to grass and if she can put an injury-hit first half of the season behind her then she should challenge again.
5 - Karolina Muchova
Karolina Muchova earned plenty of praise for her performances at the French Open, where she took out Sabalenka in the semis and then lost to Swiatek in the final.
Eurosport expert Mats Wilander described her as perhaps the “most complete tennis player on the women’s side in the world” and said he expects her to be “absolutely sensational” at Wimbledon.
Muchova, who has missed time in her career due to two lengthy injury absences, has made two Wimbledon quarter-finals and is raring to go again on the grass.
“I look forward to playing on the grass, on the fast surfaces, that's for sure the surfaces I prefer and I like more,” she said after the French Open.
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