The time of the year has come, Wimbledon is almost here and the world’s greatest tennis players will make their way to the famous courts on June 27th to kick-off one of the biggest grand slams of the year.

Along with the US Open, French Open and Australian Open, Wimbledon is one of the most important fixtures in the tennis calendar and has played host to some legendary contests over the years. McEnroe vs Borg, Graf vs Sanchez and Nadal vs Federer are just some of the historic matches seen on Centre Court.

Who is the men’s favourite this year?

This year’s tournament is particularly intriguing. Novak Djokovic has proven himself as the world’s number one and started his year off in style by winning the Australian Open in January.

However, Britain’s own Andy Murray will hope to avenge his loss in that final and put his stamp on the tennis world with a big victory on Centre Court. Of course, the legendary Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be hoping to return to form at a tournament they have fond memories of.

Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic could be great outside bets, too. Both have proven their skills in recent years and will be looking to make a major splash at Wimbledon this year.

Who is the women’s favourite this year?

Much like Djokovic, Serena Williams has proven to be a dominant competitor in women’s tennis. For years now, she has beaten some of the best in the game and defeated some of the brightest new talents in the world.

Garbine Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska will be particularly tough opponents for Williams and are now ranked second and third in the world respectively. Both will want to leave a big impact at Wimbledon. Muguruza will especially be hoping for a rematch of last year’s final with a different outcome. Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka will all be challenging for the title, too.

Another outside bet is Petra Kvitova, who won the Wimbledon title back in 2014 and is hoping to return to form this year after recently struggling with injuries and form.

What are the big storylines?

Serena Williams has more than proven herself to be one of, if not the, greatest female tennis player of all time. Wimbledon 2016 will give her another opportunity to boost her reputation even further and continue her phenomenal form.

However, all good things must come to an end, and it will be fascinating to see if anyone can stop Williams who, at age 34, is playing as if she is ten years younger. Will some of the younger challengers be able to dethrone the queen of tennis, or will she simply never be stopped?

After capturing a record fifth Queen’s title and welcoming back Ivan Lendl as coach, all eyes are on Andy Murray as he aims to pick up another historic win on Centre Court. Murray’s loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open could give him the motivation he needs to return to a Grand Slam final and make a big push towards the number one spot in the world.

On the other hand, Djokovic will be looking to continue his fine form and follow up his big Australian Open win with another Grand Slam. While Federer and Nadal have struggled to live up to their past glories, Murray and Djokovic have continued to dominate.

Could this year see a comeback for Nadal, or will Federer crown the end of his career with jubilant win? Will Williams cement her legacy as the best female player ever, or will a new champion be crowned? We’re going to find out when this year’s Wimbledon starts on June 27th.