Wimbledon 2024: Four WTA dark horse candidates that can win the tournament

Wimbledon begins on Monday, July 1. Chances are that Marketa Vondrousova will not win Wimbledon again as she did in 2023. That is not to imply that Vondrousova is a bad player because she is far from it. Since 2016, however, there has not been a repeat champion at Wimbledon on the WTA side.

The favorites are probably the big hitters. Elena Rybakina has won the event before (2022) and has a great chance again in 2024. Aryna Sabalenka has yet to win the grass-court major but she has the game to match the surface. Even though she is ranked No. 3, she is probably more of a pick to win Wimbledon than top-ranked Iga Swiatek or No. 2 Coco Gauff.

Gauff would be an interesting pick, however. If she can figure out her serve and be consistently good with it, she is a real threat to take her second Grand Slam victory. That said, she doesn't rate as being a dark horse because she will be the second seed. Here are four players who could steal the title in 2024, though.

Four dark horse candidates who could win Wimbledon on the WTA side

Madison Keys

The 29-year-old Keys has almost reached greatness but never quite gotten there. Her career-high ranking was No. 7. She reached the final of the US Open in 2017. She has reached at least the semifinals of majors six times but never won a Grand Slam. This includes reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon last year.

Keys is not the most athletic of players but she can hit with pace. If she can somehow harness her power into consistently good service games, she has a chance. After so many years on the brink of excellence, it would be nice to see her breakthrough before she retires.

Anna Kalinskaya

This pick is admittedly not based on anything. Kalinskaya has never won a tournament. She almost did when she reached the finals of the ecotrans Ladies Open recently but lost to Jessica Pegula in the final in three sets and lost in a tie-break in the third set. The tournament was played on grass so Kalinskaya should have some confidence heading into Wimbledon.

While winning a tournament for the first time at a Grand Slam is a story unto itself, this would be augmented if she won the event and her boyfriend, Jannik Sinner, won on the men's side. Both are capable of winning, though Sinner has already shown he can win a major. Maybe Kalinskaya picks up a few tricks from him and steals Wimbledon.

Danielle Collins

Collins has seen a slightly diminished form over the last couple of months after an unexpectedly red-hot start to 2024. She has matched her number of career titles this year alone. She can hit with pace, though hard courts seem to be a better fit for her.

The story would be about a retiring Collins who makes her deepest run at Wimbledon at the end of her career. She does not have a lot of grass-court experience as the 30-year-old only has a career mark of 6-8 on the surface. She will fight to win, however, and couple that with a feeling of no pressure to win could lead to a Collins upset.

Emma Raducanu

Raducanu is likely more of a hope than an actual dark horse. Still, she has won a major before and none of the players listed above can say that. At least she has the experience of playing in a final and then coming out the other end as a winner. While she has suffered through various injuries, she has had an uptick in form recently and that means she is gaining more confidence.

When healthy, Raducanu moves around the court well and can hit with pace. Her issue has always been maintaining consistency. She could be a real threat in her home country, though.

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