Tennis star Maria Sharapova Barcroft Media

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WIMBLEDON kicks off on Monday and thelondonsport is celebrating the greatest tennis tournament on earth by paying homage to the best talent in the women’s game.

Famed for their fantastic ball control, we have dug out some smashing snaps of the top eight ladies likely to have your pulses racing for the next two weeks.

But make sure you tune in for the first round, because we’re not sure how long some of these lovelies will last.

8. Bethanie Mattek-Sands is better known for her wacky dress sense than her displays with a tennis racket. The American has never won a career title and her Wimbledon best is the fourth round last year. Mattek-Sands, 24, faces the 18th seed, Samantha Stosur, in the first round.

7. Belarusian Victoria Azarenka is seeded eighth for this year’s Wimbledon. At just 19 she has already picked up three WTA titles and pocketed a cool $3m.

6. Elena Dementieva made the semi-final in 2008 and is the fourth seed this time around. At 27, the Russian is a bit of a veteran in this countdown but definitely deserves her spot in the top eight.

5. Daniela Hantuchová will play London’s Laura Robson in the opening round at Wimbledon. The Slovak has been on the tour for seven years and reached the last eight at Wimbledon in 2002.

4. Caroline Wozniacki is the number nine in the world and at just 18 is tipped to be a huge hit both on and off the court. The Danish star will face Japan’s Kimiko Date Krumm in the first round.

3. Ana Ivanovic, 21, has slipped down the rankings since winning the French Open in 2008 but the Serb will always be there or thereabouts when it comes to choosing the real talent on the ladies’ tour. Ivanovic is seeded 13 - we hope that's not a bad omen.

2. It must be something in the vodka - Maria Kirilenko is the third Russian to feature in our countdown. The 21-year-old has already netted $2m and will face Petra Kvitova in the first round. May we wish you the best of British!

1. Maria Sharapova stole our hearts when she romped to Wimbledon glory in 2004. And five years down the line she is still our number one. Sharapova may be fighting her way back to fitness after spending nine months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, but we reckon the leggy Russian has what it takes to reclaim her crown.

What do you make of our list? Have we forgotten anyone? If we have please let us know by leaving your comments below…