Wimbledon Day 4 Tip: Back in-form Grand Slam champion to win at [5/4]

• Wozniacki on comeback trail

• Picking her battles

• Fernandez must be respected

There are signs of life in Caroline Wozniacki, as she continues her post-pregnancy comeback.

The 2018 Australian Open champion decided to return to the sport during the summer hard court swing last year and produced a commendable fourth round run at the US Open losing a tight match to eventual champion Coco Gauff.

Not at all bad for a player competing in only her third event in three and a half years.

Wozniacki has played selectively this season with her best showing being a quarterfinal at Indian Wells. However, she remains a highly capable player and her recent performances suggest she is trending in the right direction.

Battered and bruised

Last week in Eastbourne Wozniacki was playing very well as she impressively defeated Elina Svitolina and Veronika Kudermetova both of whom excel on grass courts.

She however found the Bad Homburg conditions slippery and a series of bruising falls forced her to retire from her match against Emma Navarro.

Despite being battered and bruised sharp eyes noticed that Wozniacki was producing good stuff.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from her in the first round as perhaps the knocks she'd accumulated would limit her chances.

That wasn't the case as she sailed past Alycia Parks for the loss of only two games. The American had been on an eight match winning streak - in which she herself had been dominating opponents.

Wozniacki has always loved playing somebody of Parks style - a tall power player that she can string around the court and gift her free errors. So whilst the Dane's victory was to be expected, the manner in which she achieved it was still highly impressive.

For a player like Wozniacki who has already reached the summit of the sport she is prioritising the events that matter to her which are Wimbledon and the two hard court Slams. Although Woz is a few years older, a parallel can be drawn with Svitolina who since her return has saved her best form for the Grand Slam events.

Wozniacki is vastly experienced and has the tools to cause trouble against all players in this draw. Her second round opponent Leylah Fernandez is in fine form but I think the market is overrated her chances in a match I have closer to a dead heat.

Learning the ropes

Fernandez is best known for her spirited run at the US Open in 2021, where she lost to Emma Raducanu in a final that few predicted. For context, bookmakers found that outcome as likely as Leicester City's Premier League win!

The Canadian is a player that gives her all and is constantly improving. This has been her most successful grass campaign to date, reaching the quarter-final of Birmingham and then the final of Eastbourne.

It was impressive not only how Fernandez is adapting her movement and game to the surface, but also how she navigated her way through blustery conditions.

However, Fernandez came a cropper against Daria Kasatkina in the final and I feel the way that the Russian was able to drag her out of rhythm could be a decent template for Wozniacki to follow.

Wozniacki is famed for bringing the worst tennis out of her opponents and for a risk taker like Fernandez that is bad news if she has an off-day.

The key to this match may well be how Wozniacki's famed backhand deals with the trickiness of Fernandez's lefty forehand. I think with her experience and form Wozniacki has a better chance than the odds indicate.

She also speaks positively of her chance in going on a run stating after her Parks win, "I think obviously big hitters, big servers, lefties, people that are good at being first on the ball obviously have an advantage on the grass court usually. Right now I feel like it's a pretty wide-open draw. You can beat anyone if you play well, but you can also lose to the next opponent if you don't play your best."

At 5/42.25 I think the experienced Wozniacki is value to upset the odds against a player that can blow hot and cold.

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