By the very young standards of women’s tennis, Ana Ivanovic, the French Open champion and top seed at Wimbledon, which begins today, is a bit of a late bloomer. Since she was 15 years old, the 20-year-old Serb has been mentioned as a future star, but unlike many of the top women who came before her — Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Martina Hingis — Ivanovic did not serve notice on the tennis world with a major title in her teenage years.

Instead, Ivanovic has made a steady, meticulous ascent to the top of the world rankings. In 2004, when she reached the final of Wimbledon’s junior tournament, she finished the year ranked no. 97 in the world. The next season she moved inside the top 20, finishing at 16. In 2006, she gained a few places (she ended the year at 14) and then last year she had her first top five finish as a professional (no. 4). She’s followed the same path at the major tournaments (last year she reached her first major semifinal and final; this year she has played in both major finals and won her first major title). Most impressive of all, every time Ivanovic has lost at a major tournament, she has learned from it and done better the next time around. Every athlete makes this promise, but few work as hard as Ivanovic does to keep it.

The more one sees of Ivanovic, the more one becomes convinced that she will continue to improve her game for the next few years. The difference in her footwork and speed from last year’s French Open final, in which she lost to Justine Henin, to this year’s was remarkable. Ivanovic has long had a powerful forehand and a dangerous (if erratic) serve, but only recently has she been able to scramble and play defense. Her volleys are adequate and should serve her well on the lawns of the All England Club, too.

If Ivanovic continues to build on her past successes, she’ll at least reach the final this year, one better than her semifinal showing last year, when she lost to eventual champion Venus Williams. Considering her draw, anything less than the semifinal would be a disappointment. Until then, no one stands in Ivanovic’s way: no. 8 Anna Chakvetadze, the highest seed in Ivanovic’s quarter of the draw, has played terribly since she and her family were robbed in their Moscow home late last year (Chakvetadze and her parents were tied up as the thieves made off with $106,000 in cash and thousands more in jewelry).

Another potential rival for Ivanovic, no. 18 seed Nicole Vaidisova, has much in common with the Serb — both are tall, talented, and powerful — but Vaidisova doesn’t have Ivanovic’s determination, discipline, or ability to cope with success and expectations. Since Vaidisova reached no. 7 in the rankings last May, she’s had trouble winning matches, never mind tournaments. She had a bout with mononucleosis along the way and lost in the first round at the French Open. She fired her stepfather as a coach, a decision that may prove wise in the long term, but has yet to yield results. She is, without doubt, the biggest disappointment in women’s tennis right now, the anti-Ivanovic of the women’s tour. Even on grass, which favors the 19-year-old’s powerful game, Vaidisova doesn’t stand a chance against Ivanovic.

At the French Open, Ivanovic won a title without having to defeat a Williams sister, a feat that has been accomplished at Wimbledon just once since Venus Williams won the first of her four titles in 2000 (Amelie Mauresmo, the 2005 winner, didn’t face either sister along the way). Ivanovic probably won’t be so lucky this time: She might have to beat both Serena, in the semifinals, and Venus, in the final, to win her first title at Wimbledon.

Of course, that’s if the sisters are playing their best — and it’s anyone’s guess if they will. They continue to be the most confounding pair of players in the game. Little was expected of Venus in Paris, but Serena’s early defeat, and lack of confidence, was a surprise. She has worked hard in recent months and is fitter now than she has been in years, yet she seems to have lost, for the moment, the attitude that once made her invincible. Her mother, Oracene, has admitted to being confounded by this turn of events. No matter her mental state, Serena should have little trouble reaching the semifinal, provided she doesn’t come out flat in the first round today against Kaia Kanepi, the baby-faced, ultra-calm Estonian who reached the quarterfinals of the French Open.

In the bottom half of the draw, Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion, and Venus Williams, the defending champion, are aiming for a semifinal meeting, provided Jelena Jankovic, now the no. 2 player in the world, doesn’t stop Williams in the quarterfinals (Jankovic’s weak serve puts her at a disadvantage at this tournament, though she did manage to defeat Venus in 2006 in three close sets). Sharapova, whose ranking fell to no. 3 after her fourth-round loss in Paris, wants to recapture the title that made her famous a few months after her 17th birthday in 2004. If she plays as well as she did in Australia earlier this year, when she won the Australian Open without losing a set, the lawns ought to be kind to her.

While Ivanovic, the Williams sisters, and Sharapova are the clear favorites to reach the semifinals, a few other women could make some noise in coming weeks. Pay close attention to Victoria Azarenka, the 18-year-old from Belarus who, like Ivanovic, is taking the slow-but-steady path to success. She could put her big forehand up against Sharapova in the fourth round. Lindsay Davenport’s return to the game has stalled recently, but she has a favorable draw that could pit her against Elena Dementieva, the no. 5 seed, in the third round. On grass, that’s an appealing match for Davenport, even when she’s struggling. The scrappy Agnieszka Radwanska, who won the grass court warm-up event at Eastbourne this weekend, has a good chance to reach her second major quarterfinal, if she can beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round.

This preview wouldn’t be complete without a word about Tamarine Tanasugarn, the 31-year-old Thai who won a grass court warm-up tournament in the Netherlands this weekend. Her abbreviated strokes and quick hands are perfect for Wimbledon, where she has reached the fourth round six times. This year, she has a fine shot at another fourth-round appearance, which would likely bring her a match against Jankovic.

Mr. Perrotta is a senior editor at Tennis magazine. He can be reached at tperrotta@ tennismagazine.com.