Six of the world’s top 10 women, including last year’s Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, will be battling it out at Eastbourne this week determined to ensure they are in peak condition for the beginning of Wimbledon next Monday, even if the overwhelming favourite for the third grand slam championship of the year, Serena Williams, has again decided against competing on the south coast.
Williams has not played a Wimbledon warm-up tournament since 2011 – when, as a wild card, she was knocked out in the second round at Eastbourne by Vera Zvonareva. While the conversion from clay to grass is widely considered the most onerous, Williams has taken to resting before arriving at SW19 instead of adapting to the conditions.