There have been eight different women's singles champions at the past eight editions of Wimbledon, with Barbora Krejcikova a surprise winner 12 months ago.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka arrives as the favourite this year, having reached the past three Grand Slam finals.

However, Sabalenka has won just one of those three majors - and she has not played at Wimbledon since 2023.

The Belarusian, a big server with even bigger groundstrokes, should be well suited to the grass courts at SW19.

But grass is an unpredictable surface - and there are plenty waiting in the wings to shock her.

Age: 21 Country: United States Ranking: 2 Strength: Athleticism

If Sabalenka is the title favourite, then French Open champion Gauff is one of the few players who can truly disrupt and frustrate her.

An outstanding mover, Gauff can get every ball she faces back, extending the rallies and drawing errors out of the big hitters like Sabalenka.

Wimbledon was where Gauff broke through as a 15-year-old qualifier, reaching the fourth round at her first major.

Gauff lost in her first - and only - grass-court match following her recent Paris triumph, but her title run in France, where she came through a few tricky matches, will serve her in good stead.

Full of confidence, and backed by a slightly tweaked service motion to address her previous troubles, Gauff stands a good chance of going beyond Wimbledon's round four for the first time.

Wimbledon has had seven consecutive first-time women's champions since Serena Williams won for the seventh time in 2016, and Gauff will rival Sabalenka for the chance to join that list. They could meet in the final.

Age: 26 Country: Kazakhstan Ranking: 11 Strength: Serve

Rybakina won her only Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022.

She has a game seemingly made for grass, anchored by her huge serve and flat, punchy forehand. She leads the way in aces on the WTA Tour this season, having hit 235 across 40 matches.

It has not been easy for Rybakina since her Wimbledon triumph. She reached the Australian Open final in 2024 but illness, form and injury have plagued her since then. Her long-time coach Stefano Vukov has also been banned from the WTA Tour following an independent investigation into his behaviour towards her.

She has also struggled with closing out matches, missing four match points in a three-set loss to Sabalenka in Berlin.

But when everything clicks, Rybakina is still one of the best grass-court players on the tour, and a real title contender.

Age: 25 Country: Czech Republic Ranking: 73 Strength: Return

Vondrousova made history with her Wimbledon triumph in 2023, where she became the first unseeded player to win the women's singles.

Twelve months later, she was the first women's defending champion in 30 years to lose in the first round after an injury-plagued season.

Shoulder surgery, a lengthy rehab stint and several false starts followed for the Czech, who arrived at June's Berlin Open with just six wins in six months.

She left as the champion, having won five matches in six days, including a stunningly dominant performance against Sabalenka.

Having previously been as high as six in the world, Vondrousova's current ranking means she is not seeded at Wimbledon. She will face American 32nd seed McCartney Kessler in round one, could meet Emma Raducanu in round two, and potentially will take on Sabalenka in the third round.

Age: 18 Country: Russia Ranking: 7 Strength: Redirection

Andreeva made history in February when, aged 17, she became the youngest player to win a WTA 1,000 title with victory in Dubai.

She then made it two huge titles in almost as many weeks with a stunning comeback to shock Sabalenka and win Indian Wells.

Andreeva has a framed photo of a tweet Andy Murray sent about her in 2024, where he praised her mental strength, and she has already achieved much as a teenager.

She can still battle with her emotions on court, having struggled against a partisan Paris crowd when playing home favourite Lois Boisson at Roland Garros.

But, equipped with a thudding backhand, Andreeva can redirect rallies at will, forcing opponents to go on the defensive, and has good anticipation of their next shot.

Age: 30 Country: United States Ranking: 6 Strength: Serve

Keys left Wimbledon in tears last year after injuring herself when serving for the match against eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini.

She had to retire from the fourth-round match but arrives at SW19 this year as a Grand Slam champion after her superb Australian Open victory.

The American beat then world number two Iga Swiatek and two-time defending champion Sabalenka back-to-back to clinch her first, long-awaited major.

Shots may not always land where she intends, but Keys is one of the most exciting and watchable players on the WTA Tour.

A devastating ball striker, Keys' huge serve and equally giant forehand will stand her in good stead on the grass courts.