Sharapova tips Williams sisters

Maria Sharapova believes the Williams sisters will again be the players to beat at Wimbledon this year despite their lengthy absences from the game.

Defending champion Serena missed almost a year of tennis after seriously damaging her foot on broken glass at a restaurant a few days after her fourth Wimbledon singles triumph and then suffering blood clots in her lungs and Venus has been out since the Australian Open because of a hip problem.

Sharapova said: "They've been champions here for many years. They're obviously the ones to beat on grass. They've been out for a while so it's definitely great to have them back."

Serena has dropped down to 26th in the rankings but has been seeded eighth because of her record at Wimbledon while Venus has been promoted from 33rd to 23rd.

The changes mean although Serena is in the same half of the draw as top seed Caroline Wozniacki and fifth seed Sharapova, she could not meet either until the semi-finals.

Wozniacki welcomed the adjustments, saying: "We all know that the game of the girls is perfectly suited for the grass. It's good that they got a higher seeding than their rankings because no one wants to play them in the early rounds."

The Dane went to see Serena while she was recovering from the blood clots, which the former world number one admitted could have been fatal had she not received treatment when she did.

Wozniacki said: "I'm very happy that she's doing well again. I don't wish for anyone to be in that situation because it's scary. Serena and Venus are great girls. I have a good relationship with them."

Wozniacki will begin her latest bid to break her grand slam duck with a first round match against Arantxa Parra Santonja.