Wimbledon 2015: 6 players to watch for

THE CONFIDENT CZECH

Lucie Safarova

A Wimbledon semi-finalist a year ago, Safarova reached the finals at Roland Garros earlier this month, toppling Maria Sharapova, Garbine Muguruza and Ana Ivanovic before losing a three-set final to Serena Williams. Safarova's powerful, sweeping lefty serve is lethal on grass, and she follows it up with a liquid whip of a forehand.

THE COMEBACKER

Viktor Troicki

Troicki, a resurgent Serbian, has had a remarkable grass-court season, reaching the semi-finals at Queen's Club by earning hard-fought victories over Marin Cilic and John Isner. In Stutt gart the previous week, he defeated Cilic in three sets in the semi-finals before losing a tight final to Rafael Nadal. Troicki's ranking plummeted to 847th in July 2014 as he finished serving a yearlong suspension for failing to provide a blood sample for a doping test. But he has climbed to 24th since his return and is seeded 22nd at Wimbledon.

THE UPSTART

Alexander Zverev

Zverev, a former No 1 junior player from Germany, won the Australian Open juniors in 2014 and was the runner-up at the French Open junior event in 2013. Zverev, 18, comes from a tennis-playing family.The 6-foot-6 Zverev, ranked 76th, serves bombs, but he has a surprisingly complete all-court game. He is one of the future stars of the game.

THE SAVVY SWISS

Timea Bacsinszky

Her run to the semi-finals of the French Open showcased her blend of power and touch. She serves with accuracy and pace, but what has vaulted her to the top level is her ability to disrupt her opponent's rhythm with deft drop shots, off-speed slices and superb defensive skills.Her refreshingly original style is a joy to watch.

THE AMERICAN HEIR

Madison Keys

The heir apparent to Serena Williams, Keys, 20, possesses a cannon of a serve, which she backs up with groundstrokes hit with astonishing force. Keys won her first WTA title last year on grass at Eastbourne, but struggled with a pulled leg muscle at Wimbledon. Since hiring Lindsay Davenport as her coach late last year, Keys has learned to temper her ballstriking and force errors.

THE LATE BLOOMER

Kevin Anderson A 6-foot-8 South African, Anderson has a huge serve and first-strike forehand. Ranked a career-high 14th, he reached the final at Queen's Club, losing to Andy Murray. Anderson, 29, has shrewdly used analytics to understand his game and to scout opponents. He excels at running his favourite patterns, and imposing his game on his opponent. Like another big server, Milos Raonic, Anderson wins quick points. He struggles against great returners.