As Wimbledon 2025 opens on Monday, there is anticipation and excitement across both the men’s and women’s draws. With historic milestones in sight, surprise contenders lurking in the early rounds, and a brewing duel for men’s tennis supremacy, this year’s championship promises to be one for the record books.
At 38, Djokovic is once again at the centre of attention. Already a seven-time Wimbledon champion, he seeks an eighth title — tying Roger Federer’s record, and a 25th grand slam overall. He, however, is the 6th seed, his lowest in seven years.
His consistency at SW19 is remarkable, having made the finals in the past six years, winning four times. He also is set to become the second man ever to reach 100 Wimbledon match wins, with a 97-12 win-loss figure at the grass court major. Only Federer has won more matches — 105.
The spotlight, however, belongs to the new guard. Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed, is the reigning champion on a remarkable 18-match winning streak, fresh off victories at Rome, Roland Garros, and the Queen’s Club. His effortless transition from clay to grass signals a powerful run for a third straight Wimbledon crown.
Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1, is the other half of the duopoly. His French Open final loss to Alcaraz was painful and has only added fuel to their rivalry.
Despite limited preparation on grass, he is a legitimate contender for the title.
Going by the seedings, Alcaraz and Sinner sit on opposite sides of the draw, making a rematch of the Roland Garros final in the title showdown at Wimbledon a huge possibility. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 8–4, including wins in the Italian Open and French Open finals.
It may seem difficult to look beyond these three as the possible champion, but some names do always lurk and often raise hopes of an exciting upset.
Alexander Zverev, seeded third, enters Wimbledon with cautious optimism. His grass-season build-up has shown flashes of strong form — most notably reaching the Stuttgart final. Seeded first, he, however, lost to Taylor Fritz in the final.
He has never reached a quarter-final here and would surely want to improve his showing this time around.
Fritz, the fifth seeded American, has a rather formidable record on grass. He won thrice at Eastbourne (2019, 2022, 2024) and his Stuttgart performance showcase his affinity for the surface. Only Djokovic has more titles on grass among active players.
Jack Draper, though not a familiar name deep into grand slam weeks, will be riding on home support. The 23-year-old is seeded 4th, and is a potential dark horse. As Britain’s highest-ever seed since Andy Murray, he appears mentally and physically primed for a breakthrough.
He has also been mentored by Murray and John McEnroe. He needs to improve upon his rather poor past showings at Wimbledon — where he has yet to go past Round II — to do justice to his high seeding.
Alexander Bublik, fresh from a surprise Halle title, brings an unpredictable flair which may cause an upset or two.
Beauty in uncertainty
Unpredictability and surprises have been the highlight of the women’s competition at Wimbledon. The past five years have seen five different champions and none of them seem to be the favourite this time.
Defending champion Barbora Krejcíkova is seeded as low as 17th in 2025. Simona Halep (2019) and Ashleigh Barty (21) are both retired. Elena Rybakina (champion in 2022 and seeded 11th) and 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova (unseeded) are not really been seen as champion material.
The battle for top honours is likely to be between the top seed Aryna Sabalenka, second seed Coco Gauff and eighth seed Iga Swiatek.
Sabalenka arrives as the odds-on favourite for good reason. A three-time grand slam champion and the most consistent player of the past two seasons, Sabalenka’s explosive serve and fearless baseline power translate well to grass.
She has reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon twice (2021 and 2023) and, after lifting the Australian Open earlier in the year and narrowly losing the French Open final, she looks hungry to complete her Slam resume. Grass rewards aggression, and Sabalenka thrives under that pressure — making her the woman to beat this fortnight.
Swiatek, the former world No. 1 with six grand slam titles, including four at the French Open, however, finds grass to be her Achilles’ heel. Despite dominating on clay and hard courts, the Pole has yet to go past the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Her baseline consistency, court coverage, and mental toughness are world-class, but on faster surfaces, her lack of a massive serve and struggles with low bounces can be exposed. But her adaptability means she can never be dismissed.
The focus will also be on Gauff. Fresh from her first French Open triumph, Gauff is eyeing a rare ‘Channel Slam’ after Serena Williams achieved it in 2002 and 2015.
A hard-fought battle against Sabalenka in the French Open final has reaffirmed Gauff’s mental toughness. It is true that she has never gone beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon — reaching that stage once as a teenager and then twice more.
But she adapts quickly, plays aggressive strokes and can harnesses her mental resilience. All that makes her a compelling contender.
And can there be a dark horse alert? That can surely be Mirra Andreeva. At just 17, Andreeva is making waves. The young Russian has upset top names and has the fearlessness of youth combined with natural grass-court instincts. She may have a deep second-week run.