Wimbledon 2013: Eight alternate plot lines to follow at SW19

The press room:

Ernests Gulbis recently complained that the top men give really boring interviews. But the press conferences in London, home to some of the sleaziest tabloids in the world, sure promises to be fun.

The on-going cat-fight between world no. 1 Serena Williams and no. 2 Maria Sharapova will only spill over to the press conferences of Grigor Dimitrov, the Russian’s boyfriend. Former champion Petra Kvitova and Radek Stepaenk will be grilled on their recent affair and his divorce from former WTA player Nicole Vaidisova.

As always Li Na and Gulbis will always have something interesting to say. Add in the on-court drama over two weeks and many would pay just to watch the press conferences in London as well.

Sloane Stephens serves during her Women’s Singles match against Maria Sharapova at the French Open in Roland Garros on June 3, 2013 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)

Serena’s successor:

While Serena Williams does not look she is going anywhere, the race for her heir continues and the two highest ranked American women in the rankings after Serena will clash in the first round at Wimbledon.

20-year-old Sloane Stephens, ranked no. 17 in the world, will meet 23-year-old Jamie Hampton, ranked no. 25 after reaching the finals in Eastbourne. While Stephens has been earmarked for success even before her breakthrough in Melbourne, Hampton has sprung out of the blue following her near-upset over Victoria Azarenka in the Australian Open third round.

This race is going to go well beyond the first round match and should make for some interesting narrative in the coming months; maybe even years.

Simona Halep:

The 21-year-old Romanian Simona Halep’s claim to fame so far has been that she was the first known tennis player to opt for breast reduction surgery. Slowly and surely, Halep is beginning to get noticed for her game as well.

The Romanian is on a ten-match winning streak, having won titles in the last two weeks, and is scheduled to meet world no.6 Li Na in the second round. If she can win that, the Romanian could find herself in the second week at a slam for the first time.

Indias Sania Mirza (L) talks tactics during her women’s doubles match with Liezel Huber (R) against Heather Watson and Darija Jurak on the fourth day of the AEGON International tournament in Eastbourne, England on June 18, 2013. (Getty Images)

No Singles, only Doubles for India:

With Somdev Devvarman bowing out in the singles qualifying, India’s hopes rest on the doubles as usual. Leander Paes re-unites with Radek Stepanek, with whom he won the Australian Open last year, while Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna are playing with different partners for reasons still not disclosed.

There’s also Divij Sharan and Purav Raja, the only all-Indian pair in the draw, who had to come through the qualifying draw. Sharan and Raja have been toiling their way on the ATP Challenger circuit for months now and will be competing in their first ever Grand Slam main draw. A couple of wins at SW19 will help them establish themselves firmly inside the top 100, which means they could graduate from the Challenger circuit to the ATP World Tour circuit.

On the women’s side, Sania Mirza is playing with veteran Liezel Huber as regular partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands has decided to play only singles. And then there’s also the mixed doubles draw, but details of who is playing with whom are yet to emerge.

All in all, it promises to be one exciting fortnight on and off the court. Wimbledon gets underway on Monday in London and it promises to be one helluva ride.