Andy Roddick does not think Aryna Sabalenka will win the Wimbledon title this year.
Sabalenka has not won a Grand Slam title so far this year, and has recently suffered some surprise defeats.
The latest of those came at the Berlin Open, where Sabalenka lost to Jessica Pegula in a match where she lost the deciding set 6-0.
Sabalenka will be hoping to put this defeat behind her at Wimbledon, but Roddick is backing another WTA player to take home the title.
Andy Roddick backs Elena Rybakina to win her second Wimbledon title
Like Sabalenka, Rybakina has also struggled to find relative form during the grass court season so far.
Despite this, Roddick believes that Rybakina will win her second Wimbledon title this year, having predicted her to beat Pegula in the final.
Roddick revealed that he thinks Pegula will beat Sabalenka once again, this time in the Wimbledon semi-finals, while he believes that Rybakina will beat Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final.
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“I think she has the best serve in the world or at least had the best serve in the world before Serena [Williams] came back,” Roddick said about Rybakina on his ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘ podcast.
“It’s not even the last few months, because she’s actually struggled in the last six weeks, but who are the other contenders? They have too. Iga’s [Swiatek] struggled, Sabalenka’s struggled for her and like I say struggled, it’s against their own shadows.
“Biggest serve in the sport, hard, flat, moves well on the surface, has won it before, she can switch directions, she can pin people, she likes going to that forehand cross, forehand inside-in, she can get away with that without much variety.
“I just think her game is maybe the most well suited for grass and I’m not talking prime Serena, I’m talking today, because Serena’s is the perfect match for grass ever.”
Who wins more Grand Slams in their career – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
Elena Rybakina’s potential run to the Wimbledon title
Rybakina is the second seed at Wimbledon this year, and she will play 2025 Roland Garros semi-finalist Lois Boisson in the first round.
The first seeded player Rybakina could face is Elise Mertens, with defending champion Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Diana Shnaider also in her half of the draw.
Rybakina won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022, before adding to it again at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Not only could Rybakina win her third major at Wimbledon this year, but she also knows that she will become world number one if she wins the title at SW19.
Rybakina will begin her bid for both the Wimbledon title and world number one ranking on Tuesday, June 30.
