It’ll be shocking, says Watson
HEATHER Watson insists that the women’s game now has such strength in depth that shock winners are more probable than ever — with the British No2 believing she can make an impact in SW19 this coming fortnight.
Watson, 24, the world No50, starts her tournament against world No39 Annika Beck, of Germany, and if she advances is drawn to meet world No1 and defending champion Serena Williams in the third round.
That would be a rematch of last year’s third round, in which Watson lost in three sets after an epic Centre Court battle that she led 3-0 in the third set before eventually going down.
‘In the men’s game there are three, four, five dominant players who pretty much win everything but in the women’s, anyone can,’ Watson told the Mail on Sunday. ‘And that’s really good for us. Everybody has got that belief and I’m definitely excited to play and on my day I can beat anybody.
‘I’m feeling good. Preparations have been good. I’m feeling good on the grass. I’m fit and healthy. I had a little tweak of the ab in Eastbourne but that should be fine.
‘The quality of the tennis and the depth in the women’s game has got so tough over the past few years. So many seeds go out early. People ranked No80 or No90 in the world are tough to play. It’s going to be tough and there are lots of upsets to come.’
Watson says she can also put last year’s disappointment behind her. ‘[Playing Serena] was one of the most exciting matches I’ve ever played and definitely the best crowd I’ve ever had at Wimbledon. It was an unbelievable experience and I was sad that I lost... I hope I can do better this year.’
Watson was talking to the MoS en route to the WTA’s pre-Wimbledon party.
However, partying is far from a priority, she says, with her sights firmly on a good showing at the Rio Olympics later this summer.
She insists she has no fears over the Zika virus and will definitely be playing. ‘It won’t stop me from going,’ she says.
The London 2012 Games, she says, was ‘one of the best experiences of my life’, citing the Olympic village atmosphere and the people she met there. She namechecks French NBA star Tony Parker and boxer Anthony Joshua among them.
‘It was great,’ she says. ‘And I met Neymar, but I didn’t know who he was at the time. There was a bunch of girls around him and I was like “Who is this guy? Why are all these girls around him?”
‘They were like “He’s a footballer, he’s from Brazil”, and I was like “Oh, okay”. So I went over to meet him and I thought, “What’s the big deal, I’ve never even heard of this guy”!’