It's always funny.

All sixteen fourth round Ladies' Singles matches are contested on the second Monday of Wimbledon 2011, with the winners right back in action on Tuesday for the quarterfinals.  Here's a look at how the final sixteen will shake out:

No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) vs. No. 24 Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) -- Second on Court No. 2 --  Looking for her first ever appearance in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Caroline Wozniacki returns to Court No. 2, the site of her beatdown at this stage of Wimbledon 2010.  Despite being the much smaller of the two, Dominika Cibulkova is the far more aggressive, and should be able to take the upper hand in most every rally.  The same was even truer of Jarmila Gajdosova in the third round, though, and she was only able to take five games off the wall of Wozniacki.  Wozniacki lost to Cibulkova in Sydney in her first match of 2011, but beat her later that month at the Australian Open.  It could be a real exciting match if Cibulkova comes out hitting her shots, but Wozniacki has a crushing ability to make matches real unexciting real fast.  Prediction: Wozniacki in 2.

No. 20 Peng Shuai (China) vs. No. 5 Maria Sharapova (Russia) -- First on Court No. 2 -- With her consistency and angles, Peng Shuai is a tough opponnt for anyone, especially someone as risk-taking as Maria Sharapova.  Sharapova will need to keep the balls even closer to the lines than usual against Peng, whose reach is limited by her use of two hands on each side.  If Sharapova is misfiring (like she was in the fourth round of the Australian Open against Andrea Petkovic), Peng has a real chance to pull off an upset.  But if Sharapova is hitting the ball well, it will be over before it starts. Prediction: Sharapova in 2.

WC Sabine Lisicki (Germany) vs. Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) -- First on Court No. 12 -- Sabine Lisicki has become the darling of Wimbledon 2011, wowing with her 124 mph serving (4 mph faster than the second fastest women's serve of the tournament, by Serena Williams) during her upset of No. 3 Li Na.  But with her emphatic run to the title of Birmingham weeks back, her run was almost expected.  Petra Cetkovska's run to the second week of a slam, however, was unexpected.  Cetkovska, the current WTA No. 81, had not won a single grand slam match since making the fourth round of the French Open in 2008. Cetkovska ousted No. 13 Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round and No. 18 Ana Ivanovic in the third, hitting some monster serves and controlling points effectively against the always aggressive Ivanovic. Impressive stuff, especially since Ivanovic had beaten Cetkovska 6-0, 6-0 at that aforementioned 2008 French Open.  If Lisicki has begun to buy her own hype and overlooks Cetkovska, she could be in trouble.  But I think Lisicki's game is too much bigger for that to happen.  Prediction: Lisicki in 3.

No. 9 Marion Bartoli (France) vs. No. 7 Serena Williams (United States) -- First on Court No. 1 --  The last time Serena Williams did not make the final at the All-England Club was back in 2007, when the eventual finalist from the half of the draw she occupied was Marion Bartoli, an unorthodox Frenchwoman who beat Justine Henin after Serena had been unable to.  Serena and Bartoli met at the next slam, the 2007 US Open, with Serena winning in straight sets.  Serena has been improving with each match during this tournament, looking just about as good as she did last year during her third round thrashing of No. 26 Maria Kirilenko. Bartoli has played down to her competition so far, but if she plays up to Serena's level this one could be a lot of fun.  Prediction. Williams in 3.

Tamira Paszek (Austria) vs. Ksenia Pervak (Russia) -- First on Court No. 14 -- In place of the previously scheduled No. 6 Francesca Schiavone vs. No. 11 Andrea Petkovic fourth round throwdown, two third round upsets have caused the unlikely second round encounter between Tamira Paszek and Ksenia Pervak (ranked No. 80 and No. 89, respectively).  Paszek is only twenty-one, but her two previous runs to the fourth round of a slam, at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2007 (beating such departed players as Tatiana Golovin, Elena Dementieva, and Patty Schnyder), feel like a generation ago.  Ksenia Pervak is only twenty, but has no previous experience making it this far into a big event, with an 0-4 record at her previous four grand slam appearances.  Pervak's the steadier of the two, and her aggressive style comes with left-handedness and consistency that Paszek's does not.  Prediction: Pervak in 2.

Nadia Petrova (Russia) vs. No. 4 Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) -- First on Court No. 3 -- The only seed remaining in the third quarter of the draw, this would seem to be a spectacular opportunity for Victoria Azarenka to make it to (at least) her first grand slam semifinal.  Nadia Petrova has quietly been very sharp in this tournament, though, and will make Vika work for this win.  Petrova has the long-term experience (having made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2005 and 2008), but Azarenka is far more familiar with what it's like to make it deep at tournaments during this decade.  Prediction: Azarenka in 2.

No. 8 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) vs. No. 19 Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) -- Second on Court No. 12 -- If you like the snot knocked out of the ball on each and every shot, this is the match for you. Yanina Wickmayer hasn't made it to the quarterfinals of a slam since her breakout run to the semifinals of the 2009 US Open, a drought that I don't see ending here.  Petra Kvitova's suspect movement and big lefty shots are what grass court tennis is all about, and she should be able to outpower Wickmayer consistently enough to make it through to her second straight Wimbledon quarterfinal.  Prediction: Kvitova in 2.

No. 23 Venus Williams (United States) vs. No. 32 Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) -- Second on Centre Court -- History repeating itself should seem expected, but when Tsvetana Pironkova knocked Venus Williams out of a grand slam for the second time by defeating her 6-2, 6-3 in the Wimbledon 2010 quarterfinals it was entirely shocking.  Pironkova hasn't done anything of note since winning that match until this tournament, at which she ruthlessly dispatched No. 2 Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-3 in the third round. is Because of the way the ranking system works, counting only the fifty-two most recent weeks, Pironkova will fall forty spots in the rankings (roughly to No. 72) if she loses this match.  Tough consequence for merely beating the No. 2 seed on your way to making the second week of slam.  If Venus has learned her lesson, she should be able to get through this one with relative ease.  But if Pironkova can take a set, I like her chances to pull off the upset yet again. Prediction: Williams in 2.

The second Monday of Wimbledon is the greatest day in the tennis calendar, with all thirty-two remaining singles competitors competing in fourth round action.  Here's a look at the men's side of this annual tennis explosion:

No. 1 Rafael Nadal (Spain) vs. No. 24 Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) -- Third on Centre Court -- Rafael Nadal hasn't been beaten at Wimbledon since 2007, winning two titles and missing one year due to injury.  But things won't be easy at all for him Monday on Centre Court, taking on resurging Juan Martin del Potro.  del Potro established himself as Nadal's kryptonite in 2009, beating Nadal three times on big stages, including a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 bloodbath in the semifinals of the US Open.  Del Potro had never made it to the second week of Wimbledon before, but his big serve and bigger forehand should be able to do some damage.  Nadal looked vulnerable against qualifier Gilles Muller in the third round, but I think he'll be far readier for the del Potro arsenal.  Prediction: Nadal in 4.

No. 10 Mardy Fish (United States) vs. No. 6 Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) -- Third on Court No. 2 -- Defending finalist Tomas Berdych hasn't had any results to speak of in the last year (though I suppose you could speak of them derisively). But he seems to have recaptured the magic he had at Wimbledon last year, a run that saw him upset both No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 3 Novak Djokovic.  Mardy Fish is the lone American left in the Gentlemen's Singles draw, and has taken care of business nicely on his way to living up to his seed.  Surprisingly given how long both have been around the upper echelon of the game, Berdych and Fish have never played one another previously.  If Berdych plays his best tennis, he'll win.  Prediction: Berdych in 4.

No. 4 Andy Murray (Great Britain) vs. No. 17 Richard Gasquet (France)  -- First on Centre Court -- These two met famously in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2008, with Murray coming back from two sets down to defeat the notoriously poor closer Gasquet in five.  Though Gasquet has had a few nice wins to his name in 2011, it's unlikely this match will be anywhere near as exciting.  The real surprise is why tournament organizers put Murray on first, as far from primetime as possible.  Prediction: Murray in 4.

Q Lukasz Kubot (Poland) vs. Feliciano Lopez (Spain) -- Second on Court No. 3 -- Qualifier Lukasz Kubot quietly collected a nice set of scalps in the first week of the tournament, knocking out Arnaud Clement, Ivo Karlovic, and No. 9 Gael Monfils to make it into the second week of Wimbledon for the first time. Feliciano Lopez has made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon twice before, in 2005 and 2008, and pulled off one of the loudest wins of the tournament with his straight set defeat of Andy Roddick.  Though I am reluctant to ever agree with Justin Gimelstob on anything, this one will be as much a tennis match as it will be a shampoo commercial.  Prediction: Lopez in 4.

No. 7 David Ferrer (Spain) vs. No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) -- Third on Court No. 3 -- Despite being the higher seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has to be considered an overwhelming favorite against David Ferrer.  Tsonga's big serving, big hitting style should give him every advantage on grass against the counter-punching Ferrer, who himself was lucky to make it past American Lucky Loser Ryan Harrison.  Prediction: Tsonga in 3.

No. 18 Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) vs. No. 3 Roger Federer (Switzerland) -- Third on Court No. 1 -- Playing with more confidence than he has in years, Roger Federer again looks like the man to beat at the All-England Club.  His draw has been cooperative as well, with Mikhail Youzhny presenting one of the less tricky possible tests at this point in the tournament.  Youzhny can serve, and could force a tiebreak or two, but this should be one of those crowd-pleasing Federer exhibitions. Prediction: Federer in 3.

Q Bernard Tomic (Australia) vs. Xavier Malisse (Belgium) -- First on Court No. 18 -- Qualifier Bernard Tomic, 18,  caused the biggest upset on the men's side thus far with his straight set dismantling of No. 5 Robin Soderling, a match that began with Tomic only losing seven points in the first set.  Tomic should be favored to take out veteran Xavier Malisse based on talent, but if the unexperienced Tomic has a letdown after his big win Malisse has a shot. Prediction: Tomic in 4.

No. 19 Michael Llodra (France) vs. No. 2 Novak Djokovic -- Second on Court No.1 -- Novak Djokovic struggled in his third round match against No. 30 Marcos Baghdatis, getting into rallies that were crowd-pleasing but far, far too long.  He won't have nearly as much time to win points against Michael Llodra, who is the closest thing the ATP currently has to a serve-and-volleyer.  Djokovic has the return to disrupt Llodra, though, and he should be able to get through this one with relative ease.  Prediction: Djokovic in 3.

Sixty-four singles matches are stuffed into the Day 1 schedule at The Championships, Wimbledon 2011.  Here are six of the best:

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) [6] vs. Jelena Dokic (AUS) -- Second on Centre Court -- A match that many are tagging as an upset special, and with good reason.  Schiavone's worst surface is grass, and Dokic's power game just took her to the final of the grass court tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch last week.  If this match were on an outer court, I would like Dokic's chances immensely, but Schiavone is too much of a showman to not produce some fireworks on Centre Court.  Prediction: Schiavone in 3.

Alison Riske (USA) vs. Vera Zvonareva (RUS) [2] -- First on Court 1 -- Vera Zvonareva is defending a grand slam final appearance for the first time, and gets a potentially tough opening match against Allison Riske, a young American who has had tremendous success on the grasses of Birmingham.  Zvonareva should be able to outsteady Riske, but it will be interesting to see how Riske performs on the biggest stage of her career thus far. Prediction: Zvonareva in 2.

Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [4] -- Third on Court 2 -- Victoria Azarenka retired from a match for the fourth time in 2011 last week in Eastbourne, so her health is something of a question mark going into this first round match.  Magdalena Rybarikova is a very strong grass courter, having won Birmingham in 2009.  If Azarenka isn't near 100%, she could become a shocking Day 1 casualty. Prediction: Azarenka in 3.

Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) [21] -- Fourth on Court 2 -- Stepanek and Verdasco will provide a pretty cool contrast in finesse vs. power, with plenty of flashy shotmaking to spare.  Stepanek took a set off Rafael Nadal at Queen's Club, so his grass game seems to be clicking along pretty nicely.  Verdasco has the more reliable game, but could easily grow frustrated by Stepanek's general annoyingness.  Prediction: Stepanek in 4.

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [15] vs. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) -- Fourth on Court 3 -- Jelena Jankovic landed near Venus Williams in the draw, a fact she shouldn't hate since she's had success against the five-time Wimbledon champion at this tournament before.  But she can't be thrilled with her extremely tough first round match against MJMS, a powerful player who plays as close to a serve-and-volley style as anyone in the WTA right now.  If the normally counterpunching Jankovic isn't assertive, she could find herself in a lot of trouble in this one. Prediction: Jankovic in 3.

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) [23] -- Third on Court 12 -- With how the draw worked out, whomever makes it out of this first round match should be something of a lock for the second week of the tournament.  This match will test Karlovic's returning and Tipsarevic's patience, and could well go the distance.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if it winds up being a longer match than Isner-Mahut II does. Prediction: Karlovic in 5.

Coverage of Day 1 Wimbledon action begins at 7 AM EST on ESPN2 in the US.  The complete schedule of today's matches can be found here.

Gentlemen's Singles action at Wimbledon 2011 gets underway on Monday with Day 1 action featuring the top half of the draw.  Here's a look at how the first week of action at The All-England Club will shake out:

FIRST QUARTER

Rafael Nadal ESP (1) v Michael Russell USA
Pablo Andujar ESP v Ryan Sweeting USA
WC Gilles Muller LUX v Tommy Haas GER
Fabio Fognini ITA v Milos Raonic CAN (31)

Right off the bat, I'm having all sorts of problems with predicting who comes out of the first section.  It should be straightforward enough for Rafael Nadal, the ATP No. 1 and defending champion at Wimbledon who has won four of the last five grand slams.  But Nadal wasn't near his best for large chunks of his title run at Roland Garros, and crashed out of his lone grass warm-up tournament at Queen's Club messily.  And lurking at the bottom of his section is astronomically rising Canadian Milos Raonic, who has the power to hit through Nadal with some ease on these grass courts.  I wish I had the cojones to pick Raonic to get through here, but I'm just gonna play it safe.  But if Raonic does become the first player to beat Nadal in the first week of a slam since 2005, you (sorta) heard it hear first.  Predicted Round of 16er: Rafael Nadal

Juan Martin Del Potro ARG (24) v Q Flavio Cipolla ITA
Olivier Rochus BEL v Q Kenny De Schepper FRA
Frederico Gil POR v WC Dudi Sela ISR
Q Edouard Roger-Vasselin FRA v Gilles Simon FRA (15)

Juan Martin Del Potro has a big serve and huge groundstrokes, but his height and lack of footwork have prevented him from grass court successes so far in his career.  A second round match against grass-loving gnome Olivier Rochus could prove to be his undoing here.  At the very least, it will offer a hilarious height disparity during the handshake.  With that in mind, I like Gilles Simon to get through here.  But if not him, the very grass-adept Dudi Sela could cause some surprises.  Predicted Round of 16er: Gilles Simon

Mardy Fish USA (10) v Marcel Granollers ESP
Philipp Kohlschreiber GER v Denis Istomin UZB
Robin Haase NED v Pere Riba ESP
Radek Stepanek CZE v Fernando Verdasco ESP (21)

This should be a real fun section.  Mardy Fish, currently at his career high ranking of No. 9,  has made several ATP finals on grass, but has never made the second week at Wimbledon.  Philipp Kohlschreiber is a real dangerous shotmaker, and won the grass-court warm-up event in Halle, Germany earlier this month.  Robin Haase is an extremely aggressive player whose game is at his best on grass, though injuries often hold him back.  And lastly, first round opponents Radek Stepanek and Fernando Verdasco both play some of their best tennis on grass, and have each made the second week of Wimbledon multiple times. I think Fish is the most consistent of the contenders here lately, so I'll go with him.  Predicted Round of 16er: Mardy Fish

Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (25) v Q Marinko Matosevic AUS
Donald Young USA v Alex Bogomolov Jr. USA
Q Ruben Bemelmans BEL v Julien Benneteau FRA
Filippo Volandri ITA v Tomas Berdych CZE (6)

2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych could not have gotten much luckier with his first week path at SW19 this year.  Only the flashy Julien Benneteau should be able to give him much trouble early on, and that still is a match the struggling Berdych should be able to win easily.  Interesting first round match between Americans Donald Young and Alex Bogomolov Jr.--could turn out to be a pretty contentious one given their personalities.  Predicted Round of 16er: Tomas Berdych

SECOND QUARTER

Andy Murray GBR (4) v Daniel Gimeno-Traver ESP
Tobias Kamke GER v Blaz Kavcic SLO
Sergiy Stakhovsky UKR v WC Daniel Cox GBR
Ivan Ljubicic CRO v Marin Cilic CRO (27)

The Brits should have little to fret over through native son Andy Murray's first two rounds at the All-England Club, but whomever he plays in the third round should prove to be pretty tough.  Marin Cilic has earned a reputation as one of the streakiest players in tennis, but he's beaten Murray before at a slam, straight-setting the Scot at the 2009 US Open.  And Sergiy Stakhovsky is a real tricky player with a ton of variety, especially on grass.  If Stakhovsky and Murray do meet, records for most drop shots in a match will most certainly be shattered.  Predicted Round of 16er: Andy Murray

Richard Gasquet FRA (17) v Santiago Giraldo COL
Igor Kunitsyn RUS v Q Igor Sijsling NED
Q Martin Fischer AUT v LL Simone Bolelli ITA
Potito Starace ITA v Stanislas Wawrinka SUI (14)

Richard Gasquet is quietly climbing back up the rankings with considerable vitesse, and could make a lot of noise here at his favorite slam.  That rare battle of Igors should be pretty tight, with Sijsling having the bigger weapons but with Kunitsyn being the far smarter player.  Wawrinka should make it through to the third round with considerable ease, and his match with Gasquet could be a classic, as the two fight to see which one of them gets the chance to lose to Andy Murray at Wimbledon in five sets for the second time.  I'll pick Wawrinka, for being the better fighter of the two.  Predicted Round of 16er: Stanislas Wawrinka

Gael Monfils FRA (9) v Matthias Bachinger GER
LL Grega Zemlja SLO v Q Lukas Lacko SVK
WC Arnaud Clement FRA v Q Lukasz Kubot POL
Ivo Karlovic CRO v Janko Tipsarevic SRB (23)

The two biggest threats to make it out of this section (Karlovic and Tipsarevic) play each other in the first round, in what should be a fun match if you like your tennis frustrating.  Monfils has never given his best effort to grass, but it's hard to figure out if he is capable of losing to one of the players he plays early on.  I'll say he goes out to Lacko, and that Karlovic upsets Tipsarevic and makes it into the second week of Wimbledon for the second time in three years. Predicted Round of 16er: Ivo Karlovic

Thomaz Bellucci BRA (30) v Rainer Schuettler GER
Feliciano Lopez ESP v Michael Berrer GER
Jaroslav Pospisil CZE v Victor Hanescu ROU
Q Andreas Beck GER v Andy Roddick USA (8)

Andy Roddick had a horribly disappointing end to his Wimbledon run last year, inexplicably losing to Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu in five sets.  It's tough to see his Wimbledon crashing down on him in this first week, though Feliciano Lopez is a grueling opponent on grass.  I like Lopez to make it through Bellucci, but Roddick should be able to book a spot in the second week relatively routinely.  Predicted Round of 16er: Andy Roddick

Ladies' Singles action at Wimbledon 2011 gets underway on Monday with Day 1 action featuring the bottom half of the draw.  Here's a look at how the first week of action at The All-England Club will shake out:

THIRD QUARTER

Francesca Schiavone ITA (6) v Jelena Dokic AUS
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE v Q Aleksandra Wozniak CAN
Ayumi Morita JPN v Tamira Paszek AUT
Christina McHale USA v Ekaterina Makarova RUS (28)

Francesca Schiavone comes off of her second career grand slam final appearance and onto grass, her worst surface, with no real pressure on her.  Her run to the finals of Roland Garros this year completely dispelled any notion that her 2010 title there was a fluke, and there doesn't seem to be much left for the Italian (who turns 31 on Thursday) to prove.  All of which makes her draw at this tournament pretty fascinating.  She gets the incredibly tough opening round task of playing Jelena Dokic, who is at her best on grass and is coming off a run to the final of 's-Hertogenbosch last week.  But Dokic turned in an absolutely terrible performance at the end of that final, choking away the match several times at the end to give Roberta Vinci the title.  I think their first round match could go either way, but I'm not confident enough in Dokic's confidence to pick her.  So I'll take Schiavone to get through the first round, but I think her gas will run out in the second round against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, an equally fiesty player with a far nastier streak.  But I'll take 2010 Eastbourne champion Ekaterina Makarova to get to the second week out of this section.  Makarova had a terrible draw at this event last year, getting Venus Williams in the second round, but she should be able to get past McHale, Paszek, and BZS fairly nicely.  Predicted Round of 16er: Ekaterina Makarova

Shahar Peer ISR (22) v Ksenia Pervak RUS
Sorana Cirstea ROU v Pauline Parmentier FRA
Q Irina Falconi USA v LL Stephanie Dubois CAN
LL Stephanie Foretz Gacon FRA v Andrea Petkovic GER (11)

Andrea Petkovic lost in the first round of Wimbledon 2010 to Anna Chakvetadze, but this section really seems like hers to lose.  Shahar Peer has been struggling, and the rest of this section is an incredible collection of nothing.  It's a nice chance for Sorana Cirstea to build on her third round appearance at the French Open, which I think is as far as she'll get before losing to Petkovic.  Petkovic should cruise into the second week (what would be her fourth consecutive second week at a slam), but how she'll do beyond that point is far more unpredictable. Predicted Round of 16er: Andrea Petkovic

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS (14) v Q Lesia Tsurenko UKR
Vesna Dolonts RUS v Nadia Petrova RUS
Kateryna Bondarenko UKR v Alize Cornet FRA
Sara Errani ITA v Kaia Kanepi EST (17)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been on the WTA radar for years now (ever since her run to the semifinals of Indian Wells back in 2009), but this past French Open (with a win over Vera Zvonareva to reach her first grand slam quarterfinal) seemed like her official coming out party.  She's got a nice draw to start, with only falling star Nadia Petrova likely to cause any sort of hiccup before the third round.  In the bottom half of the draw, 2010 quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi lurks, but I think she's gonna fall to 2004 Wimbledon Girls' champion Kateryna Bondarenko (a dumb pick, I realize, but I have a hunch).  Bondarenko should be no match for Pavlyuchenkova, and if Kanepi does make it through I still like Pavlyuchenkova's odds. Predicted Round of 16er: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Daniela Hantuchova SVK (25) v Q Vitalia Diachenko RUS
Q Kai-Chen Chang TPE v Q Marina Erakovic NZL
Sandra Zahlavova CZE v Iveta Benesova CZE
Magdalena Rybarikova SVK v Victoria Azarenka BLR (4)

Daniela Hantuchova has had as strong a last month as anyone, with big wins over Caroline Wozniacki at the French Open and Venus Williams on grass at Eastbourne.  Hantuchova is rewarded with Victoria Azarenka in her sixteenth of the draw, a match that strikes me as a total 50/50 proposition.  But I'll tip Hantuchova to make the second week, because Azarenka's road to the third round is significantly tougher.  Magdalena Rybarikova is secretly something of a grass phenom, and Azarenka can be a slow starter at slams.  I think Azarenka will make it to Hantuchova, but that hurdle is making me pick Hantuchova. Predicted Round of 16er: Daniela Hantuchova

FOURTH QUARTER

Petra Kvitova CZE (8) v Q Alexa Glatch USA
WC Naomi Broady GBR v Anne Keothavong GBR
Rebecca Marino CAN v Patricia Mayr-Achleitner AUT
Vera Dushevina RUS v Roberta Vinci ITA (29)

For the second straight slam, Petra Kvitova is the popular darkhorse pick.  And there's plenty of reason to like her chances here.  Kvitova made the semifinals at Wimbledon last year, absolutely demolishing Caroline Wozniacki and giving eventual champ Serena Williams her toughest test of the tournament.  Kvitova is in a nice eighth of the draw, and should be able to get to the second week with relative ease.  Roberta Vinci just won her first grass court title at 's-Hertogenbosch, but she's doesn't have the type of weapons that can scare Petra Kvitova, and she might even not make it past surging Canadian Rebecca Marino. Predicted Round of 16er: Petra Kvitova

Yanina Wickmayer BEL (19) v Varvara Lepchenko USA
Anastasia Pivovarova RUS v Anna Tatishvili GEO
Jill Craybas USA v Alexandra Dulgheru ROU
Shuai Zhang CHN v Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (12)

This section is filled to the brim with unreliable players, so its tough to make heads or tails of what will happen.  Both Wickmayer and Kuznetsova have had disappointing goes of it in 2011, but there aren't any real threats to either of them in this section.  Grass is Kuznetsova's worst surface, but she has made the quarters at Wimbledon three times.  If she doesn't over-think things in this first week, she should be able to win her first three matches. Predicted Round of 16er: Svetlana Kuznetsova

Jelena Jankovic SRB (15) v Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP
Monica Niculescu ROU v Sybille Bammer AUT
WC Katie O'Brien GBR v Kimiko Date-Krumm JPN
Akgul Amanmuradova UZB v Venus Williams USA (23)

Jankovic vs. Martinez Sanchez may well be the toughest first round match of these championships, and it should be a tremendous contrast in styles as well.  Jankovic's counterpunching could keep her out of the driver's seat in that match, but if she can make it through, she could put together a real nice run in this tournament.  Jankovic is one of the toughest outs in the game even still, and has had her share of success on grass, including a mixed doubles title in 2007 with Jamie Murray, and an upset of Venus Williams in the third round of Wimbledon 2006.  Venus and Jankovic could again meet in the third round this year, and while Venus will be favored, that match could be a real brawl.  But Venus is a completely different player at Wimbledon, and I think she should be able to gut it out.  Predicted Round of 16er: Venus Williams

Tsvetana Pironkova BUL (32) v Q Camila Giorgi ITA
Vania King USA v Petra Martic CRO
Elena Vesnina RUS v Laura Pous-Tio ESP
Alison Riske USA v Vera Zvonareva RUS (2)

Tsvetana Pironkova hasn't done anything to back up her shock run to the semifinals of Wimbledon 2010 in the year since.  She's always been capable of playing the best tough, but Wimbledon 2010 was one of the first big tournaments at which she was able to summon wins over more anonymous competition as well.  She'll need to focus if she's going to force a rematch of last year's semifinal against Vera Zvonareva in this tournament.  Zvonareva has been the far steadier of the two, and her best is much better than Pironkova's best, so she's the pick here.  Predicted Round of 16er: Vera Zvonareva

While order was seemingly restored by the renewal of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's proclivity to meet in grand slam finals, there's a whole lot more to the men's field than just those two.  Here's a look at the ten men with the best chance to take home Wimbledon 2011 (in order of their positions in the draw).

Rafael Nadal (Spain) [1] -- Number 1. The defending champion, who hasn't lost at Wimbledon since 2007.  The defending French Open champion.  The defending US Open Champion. And so on.  But for whatever reason, I'm not loving Nadal's prospects this Wimbledon.  Nadal looked awful (by his standards) at Queen's Club, and even called the tournament director afterwards to apologize for his uncharacteristically poor play.  Nadal has willed his way to victory through patchy play many times before, but I don't know that he will be able to do that against tough competition on grass.  Yes, I know he has won Wimbledon twice, but I think he's still far less invincible on the lawns than on clay.  If Nadal doesn't hit his stride in the first week, he could be out of this tournament very quickly, at the hands of a Milos Raonic in the third round, or perhaps a suddenly grassophilic Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth.  But if he plays well enough to be winning matches in the second week, he may well not be beaten.

Milos Raonic (Canada) [31] -- Remember the scare John Isner put into Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon? Big serving and a big forehand pushed Nadal to the brink on clay, and I have to think that that sort of power on grass will do even more damage.  And the player most likely to give Nadal that sort of challenge in this tournament is Milos Raonic, the tower of Canadian power who is playing his first Wimbledon. If he can get past Nadal (and that is an "if" of absurd proportions, granted), I don't see anyone else in his quarter of the draw who I would favor to prevent Raonic from reaching the semifinals.  Of course, as untested as he is on this stage and on grass, Raonic could just as easily lose to Fabio Fognini in the first round or Tommy Haas in the second.

Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) [6] -- Tomas Berdych had himself an enormous Wimbledon 2010, upsetting Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on his way to his first career grand slam final.  Since losing that final in straight sets (and a tough loss to Federer in Toronto), though, Berdych hasn't been anywhere near as sharp. He lost in the first round of the 2010 US Open, and then in the first round of this year's French Open, an event at which he was defending semifinalist.  If Berdych doesn't recapture some of last year's magic, his ranking could be in for a rough tumble.  Berdych doesn't have a tough draw (though he didn't have one in Paris when he lost to qualifier Stephane Robert, either), and if he plays to his potential he should skate into the fourth round, where he will likely beat either Mardy Fish or Fernando Verdasco, before losing to Nadal (or Raonic) in the quarterfinals.  But if he's off his game, this could be a real fast tournament for Tomas.

Andy Murray (Great Britain) [4] -- The annual British hope has a very nice draw to start this tournament, but could be in some light trouble in the third round against Sergei Stakhovsky or Marin Cilic, both dangerous players who haven't been their sharpest at the moment.  And in the fourth round he could face Stan Wawrinka, who upset him in the third round of the US Open in 2010.  But the problem for Murray hasn't been his ability to make his way through draws, it's been his lack of big wins in the very latest stages.  And in those late stages in 2011, he'll likely have to go through Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic to take this title.  And that's a big ask for a guy with no slams to his name, no matter what the crowd is like.

Andy Roddick (United States) [8] -- Andy Roddick probably won't win another slam, at this point.  It's not impossible, but the chips would have to fall into the right places.  And at this slam, they could for him.  Roddick doesn't really have any scary competition to speak of in his first few rounds, though he could have a tough time against Janko Tipsarevic in the fourth round.  Tipsarevic has twice knocked Roddick out of a slam, but I don't think Tipsarevic is likely enough to make the second week to face Roddick.  In the quarterfinals Roddick would most likely face a Murray, Wawrinka, or Richard Gasquet, all of whom could beat him, but all of whom he could beat.  And if he gets to face Nadal, Raonic, Federer or Djokovic in the tournament's business end, he could beat all of them as well.  There are going to be some tight, gut check matches in this tournament for Roddick.  Should be fun to watch. 

David Ferrer (Spain) [7] -- David Ferrer has never made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, but he should be a lock to at least make the fourth round with his draw.  Current 's-Hertogenbosch finalist Ivan Dodig could knock him out quickly in the second round, but Ferrer is going to win any early match he gets a foothold in.  But if he meets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round, it's buenas noches for David.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) [10] -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga burst onto the tennis scene emphatically at the 2008 Australian Open, upsetting Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal on his way to the final.  But he's been without a real breakthrough performance since, with only one grand slam semifinal in the time since.  He's not a favorite at this year's Wimbledon, by any stretch, but he should be a quarterfinalist.  If Roger Federer underestimates him (which he well could), Tsonga could sneak a set or two.  And if he gets two sets, why can't he get three? And if he is playing well enough to beat Federer, surely he could beat Djokovic, right? And if he's in the final, anything could happen, right?

Roger Federer (Switzerland) [3] -- Roger Federer played his best tennis of this decade at Roland Garros this year, upsetting the previously undefeated Novak Djokovic to make the final, where he put up an impressive effort against Rafael Nadal before losing in a four-set match that was much closer than the scoreline indicated.  If Federer plays as well at Wimbledon as he did against Djokovic, he will win this title, no question.  But how will he recover from playing so well and still not walking away with the trophy? He poutily pulled out of Halle, provoking even greater pouting from the tournament director there.  But assuming he's emotionally fine (which always is, truthfully), he has a real nice draw here.  David Nalbandian is an unpredictable third round opponent with five career wins over Federer, but if he can get through that it's tough to see anyone stopping him before a semifinal match against Novak Djokovic or Robin Soderling.  Past that, who knows.

Robin Soderling (Sweden) [5] -- In the last four Wimbledons, Robin Soderling has lost to either Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.  Which means, of course, that he hasn't lost to anyone else.  With his game and indoor successes, grass should be his best surface.  And with a draw that takes him through Djokovic before Federer or Nadal, Soderling could definitely make some noise in this tournament.  He could even win it.  Or he could lose in the first round to recent Halle finalist Philipp Petzschner.  But somewhere in the middle seems most likely.

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) [2] -- After winning his first forty-one matches of 2011, Novak Djokovic finally lost, upset by Roger Federer in the French Open semifinal, falling to the mortal record of 41-1.  Djokovic is a player who feeds off swagger and confidence like few others in the men's game, and if his ego took a severe hit from that loss, his tennis will as well.  Djokovic did not play a warm up tournament, opting only to play a warm-up event called The Boodles, which just sounds like a ridiculous decision.  Djokovic can fake his way into the quarterfinals with some ease, but once he faces Robin Soderling things will get real tough real fast.  If the swagger is back, the wins will follow (and the almost inevitable ATP No. 1 ranking).  But if there's any lingering self doubt, especially in a potential semifinal against his conqueror Roger Federer, Djokovic won't be making his first Wimbledon final this time around.

Li Na's victory at the 2011 French Open showed just how wide open women's tennis is today, and that any number of women are capable of winning a grand slam title.  Though things are slightly less open with the return of the Williams sisters and their combined total of nine career Wimbledon singles titles, there's still a lot of possibilites.  Here's look at ten of the biggest contenders for the Wimbledon 2011 Ladies' Singles crown (in order of their positions in the draw).

Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) [1] -- Let me be clear about this: Caroline Wozniacki is not going to win Wimbledon.  I don't see any way for her to make it past the quarterfinals, and furthermore it's extremely likely that she'll lose in the third round for the second consecutive slam.  The only reason she's in this article at all is because she holds the WTA No. 1 ranking.  She's a more impressive slamless No. 1 than either Dinara Safina or Jelena Jankovic was, for sure, and she could win a slam some day, but this won't be it.  Grass exposes her lack of offense, and she's got a monster of a draw.  After a pretty easy first two rounds against Arantxa Parra Santonja and either Virginie Razzano or Sania Mirza, Wozniacki runs into the incredible power of Aussie Jarmila Gajdosova, who gave Venus Williams all she could handle in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year.  If she survives that match, she likely gets hard hitting Julia Goerges, who already has beaten Wozniacki twice this year.  And if she survives that somehow, she will almost certainly run into Maria Sharapova.  Get ready for the hard court season, Caro.

Maria Sharapova ("Russia") [5] -- Before her impressive run to the French Open semifinals, Maria Sharapova hadn't made the semifinals of a grand slam in over two years.  But playing her best tennis in recent memory, Sharapova should cruise in this tournament.  She has a rough potential fourth round match up against Samantha Stosur, but Stosur is so streaky on grass that she likely won't even make it to the second week. Sharapova should be able to hande Wozniacki/Gajdosova/Goerges in the quarterfinal, setting up what should be an incredible semifinal against Li Na, Marion Bartoli, or Serena Williams.

Li Na (China) [3] -- At her highest ever ranking and stepping onto her favorite surface, French Open champion Li Na should like where her game has taken her lately.  What she should like less is her draw.  The second quarter of the Ladies' Singles bracket is arguably the toughest, and Li will have her hands full from the jump.  Her first round opponent is Alla Kudryavtseva, who famously knocked out Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2008 (though hasn't done much since).  Next would likely be Sabine Lisicki, a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist who just won the grass warm-up in Birmingham last week.  Either Ana Ivanovic or Agnieszka Radwanska could prove tricky in the fourth round, and Serena Williams and Marion Bartoli lurk in the quarterfinals.  Li plowed a tough road to get the French Open title last month, and Wimbledon won't be any easier.

Marion Bartoli (France) [9] -- After a shocking run to the semifinals of her home slam (on her worst surface, no less), Marion Bartoli should be going into Wimbledon with more confidence than ever.  As her run to the 2007 Wimbledon final and five straight semifinals in Eastbourne (and her first title there this year) attest, grass is by far her best surface.  Her subpar speed isn't as exposed, and the flat angles she gets on her shots are less retrievable.  In another part of the draw (the third quarter, namely), Bartoli would be considered a favorite to make the semifinals.  But she was drawn into Serena Williams' eighth of the bracket, so her odds of even making the quarters are slim.  But if Serena is off her game (and she well could be at some point with her long layoff), Bartoli could definitely take advantage.

Serena Williams (United States) [7] -- The Wimbledon seeding committee bumped Serena up to the eighth seed (becoming seventh when Kim Clijsters withdrew), which almost seems low considering that she is the two-time defending champion at SW19.  While Venus is more of a grass specialist (of sorts), grass has to be considered Serena's best surface as well.  But, of course, there's the whole issue of Serena having only played one tournament (this week in Eastbourne) since last winning Wimbledon.  That said, her preparation for Wimbledon seems to have been about as good as possible.  She played six tough sets of tennis in Eastbourne against Wimbledon 2010 semifinalists, shaking off the rust to survive Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round before falling in three to top-seed Vera Zvonareva.  Those matches should prepare her well for her road at Wimbledon, which is is certainly no cakewalk.  Serena gets the always dangerous (but struggling) Aravane Rezai in the first round, and then either Simona Halep or Bojana Jovanovski in the second, depending on which makes it out of their first round clash.  In the fourth round Serena would face an always tricky (and tough to prepare for) Marion Bartoli, and then a rematch of the 2010 Wimbledon quarterfinal against Li Na.  If Serena is going to be the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1993 to win a third consecutive Wimbledon, she's going to have to work for it.

Francesca Schiavone (Italy) [6] -- Francesca Schiavone made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon back in 2009, but its decidedly her worst surface.  Jelena Dokic, who is in the finals of the grass court tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch, could well take her out in the first round.  If Dokic doesn't do the deed, Ekaterina Makarova should be able to in the third.  And if neither of them can, Andrea Petkovic should be able to hit through her in the fourth round.  In any event, Fran's not making it deep into the fortnight.

Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) [4] -- Vika Azarenka is a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside a Nike dress. She just retired from a match for the FOURTH time in 2011 in Eastbourne this week, so her health could be considered fairly suspect.  Grass should suit her game nicely, and none of her recent injuries have been enough to keep her out of action for any prolonged period.  Azarenka gets a tough test right away with grass specialist Magdalena Rybarikova in the first round, and another in the third round against the hot Daniela Hantuchova, fresh off a run to the Birmingham final and wins over Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki.  This third quarter is there for the taking, though, so if Azarenka can make it past Hantuchova she should be able to make her first career grand slam semifinal.

Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) [8] -- Wimbledon 2010 semifinalist Petra Kvitova was a popular pick to win her first grand slam title at the French Open, but fell into a long stretch of erraticness in a fourth round loss to eventual champion Li Na. Grass should be even better for her game than clay (as a run to the finals of Eastbourne shows), and she's got a draw that will let her get her feet under her nicely.  Her first real challenge would come against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round, but a quarterfinal against Venus Williams or Vera Zvonareva would be a real challenge for the Czech lefty.  The incredible fight she put up against Serena Williams in the semifinal last year proved that she's an incredible fighter, though, and she can't be counted out against anyone in the draw.

Venus Williams (United States) [23] -- Five-time champion Venus Williams needs little introduction when it comes to Wimbledon.  Her seeding of No. 23 may look unimposing, but its the same seed she had when she won the tournament in 2007. Out with an abdominal injury since January, Venus played pretty solidly in her three warm-up matches in Eastbourne, looking pretty sharp given her rust.  She's volleying well, serving well, and moving well.  So watch out, field.  For her resilience, Venus is rewarded with a real tricky draw, against the enormous Akgul Ammanmuradova in the first round, and tricky oldster Kimiko Date-Krumm in the second.  In the third round, she gets No. 15 seed Jelena Jankovic, who upset Venus at Wimbledon in 2006.  Jankovic is an extremely tough out, and will definitely test Venus' fitness with long rallies.  If she gets past Jankovic, Wimbledon 2010 runner-up awaits in the fourth round, followed by Petra Kvitova.  A tall order for the tall champion, to be sure.

Vera Zvonareva (Russia) [2] -- Though she had an incredibly impressive win over Serena Williams in Eastbourne this week, last year's surprise runner up has the odds stacked against her with her Wimbledon draw this year.  American grass court superstar Alison Riske is Zvonareva's first round opponent, and she could face Tsvetana Pironkova in the third round, in what would be a rematch of their semifinal last year.  If she survives those tests, Venus Williams looms.  Vera has been a stellar early rounder at slams recently, though, so she could definitely pull off a surprise or two.