Karolina Pliskova has not yet won a Grand Slam, however, the Czech player did come close as she lost to Angelique Kerber in the final of the 2016 Us Open. Currently, Pliskova is considered the odds-on favorite to win Wimbledon 2017 with bet365 sportsbook. Those odds put her at +450 (ie. 9 to 2) as she looks for her maiden major, one that would thrust her up to the World No. 1 ranking.
Pliskova's serve should do well on grass
Pliskova has a great chance to do very well at the All England Club in July for two big reasons. Firstly, her serve is renowned on the WTA Tour and big servers often do very well on the grass-court surface.
Grass is a fast surface off of the bounce, much faster than clay. That means that Pliskova's serve should be a major weapon in any match that she plays in at SW19.
Another big reason that Pliskova looks exceptionally dangerous has to do with the fact that neither of last year's finalists from Wimbledon are in the picture for this year's final. Serena Williams is on maternity leave while Angelique Kerber is in a major slump. Her ranking is still the best on tour, but it reflects dated accomplishments from Wimbledon 2016 and the 2016 US Open. The German has done nothing of note this season and it seems very likely that her tenure as the top-ranked player will soon come to an end.
Petra Kvitova the bright light of other favorites
The other favorites for Wimbledon 2017, according to bet365 sportsbook, are Petra Kvitova, Johanna Konta, Victoria Azarenka, Garbine Muguruza, Venus Williams, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko. The only two players in that group of seven that have never won a Grand Slam are Konta and Keys.
Kvitova and Williams are the only two players that have previously won Wimbledon, although for the American you have to go back to the last decade now.
Kvitova is to be noted in particular as a very strong 2nd favorite as she appears to be getting back to form after missing several months due to a knife attack from late last year.
She is currently in the Birmingham draw and may yet win the title in that warm-up event. She has won Wimbledon twice, the first title coming in 2011 and the 2nd one in 2014 when she beat Eugenie Bouchard. When Kvitova is at her best, she has to be considered a stronger grass-courter than Pliskova. The question with Kvitova is if she is capable of running the tables in a major at this exact point in her career.
If you wanted to pick a player that looked a tad over-rated then it would likely have to be Konta. She fell in the first round of the French Open, she has few deep runs in majors, and she's not a dominant player by most measures. She's certainly a player to keep an eye on, but third favorite would imply a semifinal finish at Wimbledon. That kind of run is more exceptional than normal for the British player.
