SERENA Williams, the No 1 seed, is in line to play a quarter-final against Ana Ivanovic then a semi against Maria Sharapova if she is to justify her ranking and reach the Wimbledon final. The 33-year-old American, a five-time winner, has been drawn against Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan, the world No 113, in the first round.

Williams’s quarter of the draw looks like being the most straightforward of the four, although she could face an awkward match against Venus, her elder sister, in the last 16. Ivanovic, a former world No 1, is back to something like her best form after a long period in the doldrums and is seeded seventh this year. Even so, she will be a distant second favourite against the top seed if she gets that far.

Sharapova, the 2004 champion, is up against Johanna Konta of Great Britain in the first round. The Russian will be heavily tipped to win that match, but Konta at least has the advantage of playing her before she gets into her stride.

When she emerged as a major force on tour a little over a decade ago, Sharapova was seen as the biggest threat to the dominance of the Williams sisters: the player whose power and physicality made it most likely she could trade blows with them and be the one left standing at the end. But in recent years she has become increasingly vulnerable to more lowly ranked opponents, and last year only made it to the fourth round, albeit while she was still getting back to full match fitness following a shoulder injury.

Certainly, the younger Williams sister will have little to fear if the seedings do go to plan and she is matched with Sharapova in the last four. The head-to-head match-up between the two has the American ahead 17-2, with Sharapova’s last win having come 11 years ago.

While Konta has been given a tough opening encounter, her Fed Cup team-mate Heather Watson has a fighting chance of an upset against the No 32 seed, Caroline Garcia of France. She could then face Daniela Hantuchova in the second round before coming up against Serena in the third.

Laura Robson, on her way back from long-term injury and the recipient of a wild card, could meet Petra Kvitova, the defending champion, at the same stage. She meets Evgeniya Rodina of Russia in the first round, while Kvitova, the No 2 seed and two-time champion, is up against Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands. Naomi Broady, another Briton to get a wild card, plays Mariana Duque-Marino of Colombia.