The odds

The Women
2:17 Martina Hingis
Hingis can outwit anyone, except those that can overpower her wit. If Martina can conquer her fears of her arch nemesis aka the active Williams (or better still, employ someone else to do it for her – Vaidisova, perhaps?), she’ll be well on her way to winning the crown. It’s about time someone joined little Justine in the battle of brain over brawn! This is surely one player I’d be rooting for; that’s assuming her compatriot in the men's draw doesn't monopolize my respiratory oxygen -- he does so takes the breath away!
1:7 Maria Sharapova
Not to wink at the other side of the coin – there’s a good chance Sharapova will power her way to another trophy, assuming someone takes down the brainiacs for her.
1:4 Kim Clijsters
If Clijsters keeps her eye on the ball instead of on her retirement, she’d probably have a shot at lifting the trophy this year. She has better grass stats than anyone, but numbers wont help her tackle her fellow countrywoman, who’ll potentially meet her in the semi-finals (unless anti-inflammatory drugs get in the way).
1:3 Amelie Mauresmo
Now that Mauresmo has put the title of “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” behind her, she can put her stunning slice backhands and artful volleys to good use. And what better place to do it than on the slick grass of the All England Club – there is no better winner at Wimbledon than one with a genuine love affair with the net and noone currently on the tour can lay claim to that title than the Frenchwoman (she may not shun the red clay in her home country, but her game sure does).
4:11 Just about anyone
If the men’s champion could literally be carved in stone (or silver as the case may be) the past few years, the women’s tour is as unpredictable as it has ever been. Let’s face it – the last eight slams have been bagged by seven different women, so it’s only fair to predict a “Who in the world is that?”
3:8 Venus Williams
There’s no ruling out Venus Williams at any major in any year, but certainly not at Wimbledon when she is defending her title.
2:5 Justine Henin-Hardenne
Henin-Hardenne is clearly the best player on the women’s tour (numbers don’t tell the whole truth) and any question that the diminutive Belgian does not have the power to tackle the slick turf was erased when she won the warm-up grass tournament just two weeks after defending her title on the grueling clay of Paris. Plus, this is the one slam she does not have – Justine is hard enough to beat when she is not thirsting for a win. On second thoughts, is she ever not?

The Men
Just for the record, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Roger lifting the trophy this year, but I try to be politically correct – gender is but a touchy subject. Just ask Larry Summers.
1:10 Andy Roddick
I’d never rule out A-Rod’s chances on grass. Moreover, since Roger has now lost that halo around his head of being unbeaten and plausibly unbeatable in grand slam finals, if Andy does get that far, he might start believing he could win. What’s more, he’s seeded third and picked to play in the draw opposite Federer - yeah, folks, I’m reading the hat.
1:4 Lleyton Hewitt
If fighter instinct was all one needed to win a slam, I’d have to go with Lleyton, quite literally, cos he’s fought with almost everyone on the tour. Granted, his performance has been less than stellar this season but then, who has exactly shined in the presence of the brilliance that is Roger Federer? In Hewitt’s favor, he did win the warm-up tournament in Queens and was the last player to sprint his way to the coveted trophy before the Roger reign began.
2:7 Marat Safin*
If there is one thing that can make grass more unpredictable than it is, it is an unpredictable player. And no one fits that bill better than Marat -- he’s capable of beating Federer in 5 grueling sets and being beaten by a qualifier in straights. Besides, there’s the wishful thought a tennis fan has to harbor -- one of watching a temperamental big server pitted against an unruffled all-courter with pure tennis artistry on display from both sides of the court, and hopefully, with at least one sighting of a racket gone awry.
*The reason Safin - who is unseeded this Wimbledon largely due to absenteeism and who's last major appearance was at the '05 Oz Open - is given a higher odd than the second and sixth seeds, who appear a lot more in-form is because should he get there, Marat has a better shot at beating Federer, who seems to stop both Andy and Lleyton dead in their tracks.
3:10 Andre Agassi
It’s true that Andre’s been sidelined by injury and age, but let’s face it, the last player to have given Roger a run for his money at a major (other than the Spaniard that ran away with his money) is the veteran. And, of course, he has a very real reason to be in a hurry to up his 8-time grand slam record, while trying to delay the Swissman’s quest to equal his own.
3:8 David Nalbandian
‘Is it my turn now?’ The world number three’s record against Federer is second only to Nadal. So, if anyone can beat the Swissman on a surface other than clay, it’d have to be the Argentine. Let’s not forget his brilliant performance against Roger in the semis at Rolland Garros and if not for Nalbandian bowing out, Federer may have been saved the embarrassment of literally donating the championship to Rafa.
99:100 Roger Federer
Every time you even begin to question the Swiss maestro’s abilities (a bit unfairly, considering his loss at the French Open final that has gotten even avid Roger fans - including this one - analyzing weaknesses in his sublime game was only his first loss in a major in an entire calendar year) he comes back to dazzle, if his flourish in the W opener against Gasquet is anything to go by – perfectly orchestrated shots to every inch of the court, from every inconceivable corner – in other words, a vintage Federer classic on grass, and certainly one worth waking up on the wrong side of 7 am for. The magic of Federer’s game is that it can never cease to amaze – he has enough variety for one player and then some – so whether you’re watching him effortlessly put away a Hewitt or battle it out with an Agassi (or practice with a tennis machine, for that matter), there’s one word to describe it -- beautiful. Expect to see plenty of it for the next two weeks as he artfully strums his way to another trophy at the cathedral of tennis.