Wimbledon offers so many surprises each year that it's hard to predict the favorites.

		Thursday, June 22 After a first-round loss at the French Open and a quarterfinal loss at Eastbourne, Lindsay Davenport's confidence will return in a hurry if her back is fine. Otherwise, she could struggle at Wimbledon. The Eastbourne grass tournament was crucial to Davenport's Wimbledon preparations. Davenport needed to play a handful of matches at Eastbourne to test her back and get in some more time on grass. Instead, she struggled in her first match and then lost her second to Dominique Van Roost, who also defeated Davenport at the French Open. Although I would still consider Davenport one of the Wimbledon favorites -- along with Martina Hingis -- Davenport must still be feeling a bit uneasy as Wimbledon nears.

But like last year, an emerging group of good, young European players could catch everyone's attention. Mirjana Lucic and Jelena Dokic broke through last year, reaching the semifinals and the quarterfinals, respectively. This year, unexpected performances could come from the Belgian duo of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin or Slovakia's Tina Pisnik.

Grass is a phenomenal surface for rewarding a player whose serve is on and whose confidence is high.

The players who might contend for this year's title (tournament seed in parentheses):

(2) Lindsay Davenport
A co-No. 1 favorite with Martina Hingis. But it all depends on Davenport's health. If she is healthy, she might be a slight favorite over Hingis. If her back injury is lingering, then Hingis stands alone. Davenport has the biggest shot and serve in women's tennis, and the best return of serve. She works nicely at the net, has won Wimbledon before and plays well in big matches.

All-time Wimbledon record: 22-6

(1) Martina Hingis
Like Davenport, Hingis has won Wimbledon before and is comfortable playing on grass. Given the nightmare of her first-round defeat last year, Hingis should be fired up to play well at the All-England Club. Hingis has a well-balanced, all-court game like no player I have ever seen. Her serve isn't dominating, but other than that, Hingis has great volleys, returns, mobility, smarts and shot selection.

All-time Wimbledon record: 15-4

(5) Venus Williams and (8) Serena Williams
One will probably hit their stride, so take your pick. The sisters have everything in their games to be good grass-court players -- they just haven't had enough experience on grass. The big mystery is the way they have been playing lately. I expect them to bust out of their slumps sooner or later. They like doing things on big stages, and few stages are as grand as Wimbledon.

All-time Wimbledon records: Venus, 8-3; Serena, 2-1

(4) Conchita Martinez
The French Open finalist is having her best year since winning Wimbledon in 1994. Her status as a contender, however, is based more on her recent success than on her past victory at Wimbledon. After six years, there has to be a statute of limitations. But she must feel some comfort knowing she has won at the All-England Club before.

All-time Wimbledon record: 27-7

(3) Mary Pierce
I'm curious to see if she can transfer the confidence she gained from her French Open victory on clay to the grass at Wimbledon, where she has never advanced past the quarterfinals. Although her game is similar to Davenport's, with a big serve and strong ground strokes, I don't think she is comfortable moving on grass. The surface seems to have psyched her out in the past.

All-time Wimbledon record: 11-5

(6) Monica Seles
Sentimentally, it would be nice to see Seles contend. But on grass, she almost seems intimidated. Other than reaching the Wimbledon final in 1992, Seles has never advanced past the quarterfinals. Most players are uncomfortable on grass, so Seles must still be considered a threat.

All-time Wimbledon record: 22-7