In normal circumstances, Wimbledon would be Serena Williams' for the taking - but that isn't the case this year

In all my years of watching Wimbledon I’m not sure that I can remember a women's competition as open as this one, writes legendary coach Nick Bollettieri

I’ve already named Roger Federer as my favourite to win the men’s title here, but when it comes to picking a ladies’ champion I’m going to hold my fire.

Holy cow, I can hear some of you say, ‘Nick doesn’t have an opinion?’ Well I’ve got plenty, of course, but in all my years of watching Wimbledon I’m not sure that I can remember a competition as open as this one.

In normal circumstances I would regard Serena Williams as the favourite, but these ain’t normal circumstances. She has played only eight matches since beginning her comeback following the birth of her first child. Although she looked good at the French Open last month she eventually had to pull out because of an injury.

What did we learn from her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Arantxa Rus on the first day at Wimbledon? Not a lot, I would suggest. Sure, she dug in after going 3-1 down in the second set, but I can’t believe anybody would ever have doubted her mental strength in those circumstances.

The biggest question I would have about Serena concerns her movement, which is crucial on grass. The ball bounces so low – and sometimes unpredictably – that if you don’t get to in time you can be as vulnerable as a straw house in a hurricane. When you hit the ball flat and knock the shit out of it in the way that Serena does, you have to be in position to play your shots.

Rus did enough to make Serena look uncomfortable on occasions and if the seven-times champion is to go deep in this tournament she’s going to face opponents who are going to push her much harder.

Serena’s serve is one of her biggest assets so she’ll also need to find a good serving rhythm. She hit only five aces against Rus and her fastest serve was 115mph. That isn’t high by her standards, but after Paris she’s been taking things carefully. She still has time to get in the groove and if she gets through the first week you would start to fancy her against anybody.

If it’s not to be Serena, who might win? I always have the greatest respect for her sister Venus, but at 38 a lot will depend on her physical status. Maria Sharapova is another whose mental strength is never in doubt, but, like Serena, it’s crucial that she serves well. Simona Halep hasn’t played any warm-up tournaments, but if she’s fit and can avoid an upset in the early rounds she could go a long way.

In the end, however, I think the two players who could be the biggest threats to Serena are Petra Kvitova and Garbine Muguruza. Both know what it takes to win this title and both have great games for grass. But am I going to stick my neck out and say which one of them will win the title? Not yet, baby!

If it’s not to be Serena, who might win? (AFP/Getty ) (AFP/Getty)

Tuesday’s match of the day: I’m going to be interested to see how Novak Djokovic shapes up in his opening match. Man, when this guy was at the top of his game he just didn’t have a weakness. However, not much has gone right for him in the last two years.

Although I’ve seen some encouraging signs lately, I’m not sure that Djokovic is as strong as he was. He used to be one of the iron men of our sport, but now I have to question how he would cope if he had to play seven best-of-five-set matches over a fortnight. I’m sure he’s still a tireless worker, but when I look at him I don’t see the same physical strength that used to be one of his trademarks.

Nevertheless, you wouldn’t fault Djokovic’s technique and you wouldn’t expect him to have too much trouble against Sandgren. The American made a big breakthrough when he reached the quarter-finals of this year’s Australian Open, but this is his first appearance in the main draw at Wimbledon.

Not much has gone right for Novak Djokovic in the last two years (Reuters)

What the best players have taught me: Every day through the tournament I’m going to tell you about the things I’ve learned from some the great players I’ve worked with over the years at the IMG Academy I founded in Florida.

It’s now 26 years since Andre Agassi won Wimbledon, which was one of the highlights of my coaching career. There were so many things I learned from Andre. Here are just a few of them: 1) to be a better listener; 2) to be flexible; 3) on occasions to close my ears and also my eyes; 4) not to just look at the surface but to dig a little deeper. And, of course, Andre taught me to accept his dress code and his short-short hair.

And what I can teach you: Each day I’m going to give you a tip or two about how to improve your own game. Today I want to stress the importance of being consistent in your shot-making.

At any level of the game it’s important to be aggressive, but it’s just as vital that you recognise your own ability and skill level. Don’t attempt too much. Remember the shots and the patterns of play that work for you and that will be appropriate to your position on the court.

Read all about it: Later this summer the Professional Tennis Registry will be publishing my personal account of what I’ve learned in a lifetime of coaching tennis. I’m very excited about the book. You can find out how to buy it at www.ptrtennis.org.