In her latest Wimbledon column, BBC Sport analyst Naomi Broady – a former top-60 player on the WTA Tour – analyses where Saturday’s women’s final between Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova will be won and lost.
On one side, we have a five-time Grand Slam champion who has always had an uneasy relationship with the grass.
On the other is a former teenage prodigy who is fulfilling her potential after taking a significant break from the sport to protect her mental health.
Both Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova have fascinating stories to tell as they each prepare for their first Wimbledon final.
This is how I think Saturday’s history-making match will be decided.
Managing the occasion is key
Both players are understandably going to be nervous coming into the match – it’s the Wimbledon final! The outcome will likely come down to who manages the occasion better.
Anisimova was pretty nervous in her quarter-final win against Anastasia Pavyluchenkova, to the point where she kept dropping to the floor on her haunches in the last couple of games – even when it wasn’t match point.
It was an illustration of the feeling of desperation she was facing as she edged closer to victory.
We saw similar reactions a few times early on in the semi-final against Aryna Sabalenka too but she managed to settle more as the match went on.
Swiatek, having won majors and having been the world number one for such a long time, has the edge in terms of experience – that absolutely counts for a lot.
But Anisimova has nothing to lose. Of course she is desperate to win the Wimbledon final, but at the start of the fortnight she would never have thought she would actually be here in the championship match.
She can close her eyes in the final and have a swing – which fits best into what she does. This circumstances allows her to be more dangerous.
So she can go out there and play freely, whereas I think Swiatek might feel extra pressure.
Swiatek has never won the singles title here, she’s the higher ranked and many people will expect her to lift the trophy.
I think being the underdog favours Anisimova and it fits in well with her aggressive game style.
Settling down quickly
Swiatek and Anisimova are only three months apart in age but they are yet to play each other at tour level.
They will still know each other very well, though. They played once in the juniors – back in 2016 – and they have of course seen each other play a ton, and probably hit together through the years too.
It won’t be the same as going out there and knowing absolutely nothing about their opponent.
When you’re in the same year group as someone, it’s kind of like you’re old school friends and you’ll have known them since you were young – especially if you’re one of the top juniors in your country, which Swiatek and Anisimova both were.
They won’t be scrapping for information before they walk out.
Not only they will be getting detailed analysis from their teams, they will already have a rough idea of what’s coming at them.
If you have never played someone before, you will mix up a few different shots up in the warm-up to gauge how your opponent feels – but I don’t think that will be the case for the final.
For the eighth time in eight years, there will be a first-time Wimbledon women’s champion.
Why does Wimbledon throw up so many different winners? I think mainly just because it’s such a short grass-court swing and a quick turnaround from the French Open on the clay.
Most players who go deep in the Slams don’t want to play in the week before a major but you don’t always have a choice in the run-up to Wimbledon.
A lot of players rock up to Wimbledon feeling quite unsettled, and those who have lost earlier at Roland Garros almost have a bit of an advantage.
If they are playing two or three tournaments coming into Wimbledon, they are feeling far more settled and have figured out the changes in bounces a little sooner.
When you first change surfaces, you are actively thinking about movement, court positions and taking the ball earlier.
When you’re playing well, you’re on autopilot and not actively thinking much at all.
So I think both Swiatek and Anisimova getting on the grass earlier this year has worked in their favour at Wimbledon.