I guess Venus Williams would resent that title, but when it comes to women’s tennis at Wimbledon, she is one of the oldest battling it out for the singles title. I said one of the oldest, and at 31 she is getting on, but she is nowhere near as old as her next opponent, the well-seasoned 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm. She may be 40, but she played liked a 20-year-old crushing local Katie O’Brien in the first round.

Bookmakers are not expecting Date-Krumm to go any further, quoting her at 10/1 to defeat Venus Williams (1/16) in the second round. In fact, despite her playing only one tournament since January, bookmakers have Venus at 9/1 equal third favourite to take out a sixth Wimbledon title. Sister Serena Williams is second favourite at 5/1 behind one of the comeback queens of tennis, Maria Sharapova (9/2).

The women’s draw this year looks to be a great betting opportunity with value to be found across the board. French Open winner Na Li is at 10/1 to continue her good form while players of the caliber of Petra Kvitova (9/1) and Caroline Wozniacki (11/1) are not out of it either.

This is perhaps one of the most open women’s draws in years. You can include Vera Zvonareva (15/1), Victoria Azarenka (16/1), Marion Bartoli (20/1), and Samantha Stosur (30/1) in the chances. Stosur has a fine record against many of these players although she has never been able to finish off a tournament – the typical ‘always a bridesmaid’ type of player.

It’s hard to pick winners this early, and the lack of match play and age will go against the Williams sisters. Sharapova has the experience to win this while Na Li is certainly on a role and will be a danger. It will be interesting to see how these first few days play out before making a final decision on who will win – in the meantime, let’s just sit back and watch some fine tennis.