As a result of his maiden grasscourt title in Halle last week, world number one Jannik Sinner will go off as favourite for Wimbledon. However, this is a hurdle he is yet to clear.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, has been there and done it. The Spaniard triumphed in SW19 12 months ago, defeating Djokovic in a terrific, five-set final.

He comes in this year having just won the French Open and it would be silly to place too much weight on his narrow Queen’s Club loss to Jack Draper.

Alcaraz showed last season how his game is now well suited to grass – always strong from the baseline, he also has the volleying skills and excellent drop shots. Such court-craft can cause plenty of problems for those not so adept on this surface. For us, he looks the most likely winner.

It’s been some time since Pete Sampras was serve-and-volleying his way to the Wimbledon title – seven of them, in fact – and you won’t see many playing in that style this year.

But a big serve remains a massive weapon on grass where the ball skids through faster and lower than on most surfaces. Hurkacz arguably has the best serve on the ATP Tour these days, certainly his first serve.

He served the most aces on tour last season and this year has already slammed down 573 in 45 matches – almost 200 more than his nearest rival (Alexander Zverev).

The Pole reached the semi-finals here in 2021 and last year went toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic before losing in four tight sets. Hurkacz made the Halle final in the build-up to this tournament and has to have a decent chance.

For a longshot, the hard-hitting German is worth considering. While his record at Wimbledon isn’t great, warm-up results offer reasons to be optimistic.

Last week he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals in Halle where he came within a final set tie-break of beating eventual champion Sinner.

The week prior, only illness stopped him in Stuttgart where he’d made the last eight. He was also a finalist there last year.

While Struff is yet to reach the second week in SW19, it’s worth noting that four of his last five defeats there have been against top six seeds, including Alcaraz and a certain Roger Federer.

A finalist in each of the last two years, Jabeur will be hoping it’s third-time lucky at Wimbledon.

She certainly would have been encouraged by a strong run at the recent French Open, one which saw her reach the quarter-finals, and arguably her game is more suited to the grass where her variety of shot comes to the fore – she’s happy to play from the baseline or come forward towards the net, combining power with finesse.

Jabeur did have to withdraw mid-tournament in Berlin – like many others – but her reason was an illness which should have cleared up by the time the major gets underway. A real contender.

Few hit the ball harder than Keys. Control can be an issue at times but when she’s onsong, the American is hard to stop.

Last season she rolled to the quarter-finals, repeating her 2015 effort, and following a strong clay court season, Keys should arrive here full of confidence.

She often saves her best for the Slams – last year’s US Open semi-final was her sixth at this level. None of them have come at the All England Club but with powerful groundstrokes and a big first serve, Keys has the tools for the job. She could well go deep.

For those who like a punt, try Haddad Maia. Her form has admittedly been poor in 2024 but a return to the grass may well help on that front.

She’s gone 18-6 on the surface (at time of writing) since the start of 2022, capturing titles in Nottingham and Birmingham during that run.

Last season, she made the last 16 at Wimbledon only for a hip injury to force her retirement against Elena Rybakina. Much will depend on Friday’s draw but if she lands in a decent section, the Brazilian may well be able to build some first-week momentum and launch a challenge.