Pliskova is armed and dangerous

– Karolina Pliskova (left) has never got past the second round at Wimbledon in five maindraw appearances, but after a year to remember, the towering Czech looks armed and ready for an assault on the title.

With Serena Williams out of the picture, the 25-year-old is favourite with bookmakers to claim a maiden Grand Slam trophy at the All England Club, and she certainly has the tools to make an impact on Wimbledon’s slick lawns.

Armed with a bullet serve, a thunderous array of groundstrokes and an ice cool on-court demeanour, she has become a serious threat at the Majors over the last 12 months.

She made her Grand Slam breakthrough with a run to the US Open final last year, beating Serena along the way, and followed up by making the quarterfinals in Australia and claiming two tour titles before going to the French Open.

There she reached the last-four and was only a painful semifinal defeat to Simona Halep away from becoming world No 1.

She has a number of weapons, however, that should be well-suited to the grass including a firecracker serve, the staple of many Wimbledon champions, launched from her imposing 1.86m frame.

When her game clicks there are few more damaging players currently in the women’s game and after a long wait to get to the top, she looks ready to take the next step to win a Grand Slam. – AFP