In tennis' purest form, it takes a village to raise a champion

It takes the better part of 45 minutes to drive southwest from the center of London to a charming little village called Wimbledon. Mind you, the actual distance is only about six miles, but with narrow and winding roads that were first carved by Roman founders two millenniums ago, the average speed of traffic is a harrowing 15 miles per hour ... not much of an improvement from horse-and-buggy days.

The stress of city life will begin to fade as you pass Wimbledon Common, a large natural space of grass, water, trees and trails. Next, you will enter the High Street of Wimbledon Village, a quaint stretch of shops, restaurants, and pubs, the most prominent being "The Dog and Fox," where patrons pack inside and out during the Wimbledon fortnight.

It's only a short drive down the hill from "the village" past St. Mary's Church, and before you have time to ponder how one of the world's foremost sporting events could be nestled in such a residential neighborhood, you find yourself at the black wrought-iron gates of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the storied venue for "The Championships," a setting so prim and proper and pristine that you immediately realize the reality of this dream far exceeds the dream of the reality.

For tennis players and fans, the pilgrimage to Wimbledon is a kind of spiritual journey. The 125-year history of the tournament with its old-school traditions, such as "predominantly white" clothing for competitors, fosters this reverence, but it's also the serenity of the setting and the intimate feel of the grounds, especially Centre Court, that inspires something deep within the soul.

Serena Williams will need some of that serenity this year having played a grand total of two matches since she walked off Centre Court as champion last year. After two surgeries to repair damage to her foot caused by stepping on broken glass at a German restaurant immediately following last year's Wimbledon, and then a frightening encounter with a pulmonary embolism in her lung this March, Serena, a four-time Wimbledon champ, is no doubt "just happy to be here." It would be a long shot, even with her superstar record and abilities, to predict that she will repeat with so little preparation.

Her older sister Venus is another who gets inspired when she walks through the gates of the All England Club. But she also is lacking playing time because of injury this year, which leaves a sixth title run in doubt. With world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki possessing no major titles to match her ranking and No. 2 Belgian Kim Clijsters dropping out because of an ankle injury, Russian Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion and No. 5 seed, emerges as the prohibitive favorite.

Sharapova has struggled with her own shoulder injuries the past couple years, but she recently won the Italian Open and reached the semifinals of the French Open, her best showing ever on her least favorite surface, suggesting she is ready to re-establish herself in the upper echelon of the game.

The champion on the men's side should be more predictable. World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Roger Federer have won a stunning 22 of the past 25 Grand Slam events, including eight Wimbledon titles (six for Federer). No. 2-ranked Novak Djokovic's amazing winning streak came to an end in Paris, but he and No. 4 Andy Murray, who just won the Queen's Club warmup event, will be the top two contenders after Nadal and Federer. One of the big-serving Americans, such as Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, or John Isner, could make a semifinal run, but probably not go any further with how consistently the top four have been performing.

Two months ago, the eyes of the world were inside Westminster Abbey on a royal match in the making. But this is now, and for the next two weeks, the focus will shift to another hallowed ground, where different kind of matches will be in the making with a Wimbledon crown there for the taking.

MINNESOTA'S DAVID WHEATON REACHED THE SEMIFINALS OF WIMBLEDON IN 1991, BEATING IVAN LENDL AND ANDRE AGASSI ALONG THE WAY BEFORE FALLING TO BORIS BECKER. HE IS NOW AN AUTHOR, SPEAKER AND RADIO TALK SHOW HOST. FIND OUT MORE AT DAVIDWHEATON.COM.