Who’s ready for Wimbledon? A look at this year’s top contenders and storylines

7m read 27 Jun 2025 1w ago

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With defending champions, rising stars and seasoned contenders all converging on the All England Club, this year's Wimbledon Championships promise two weeks of opportunity, pressure and the chance to carve out a place in tennis history.

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Grass-court tennis is a specialist’s domain, and Wimbledon is its proving ground. As the tour shifts to the lawns of the All England Club, the numbers and narratives align to set up another fortnight of opportunity and high-stakes showdowns. Who is positioned to make the deepest run? Who could surprise? Here’s a look at the key contenders and storylines heading into Wimbledon.

The Contenders

Top Grass Performers

Among active players, these are the best career marks at Wimbledon, with three former champions in this year’s draw.

Elena Rybakina

View Profile 19-3 (.864)
That’s even better than five-time champion Venus Williams 90-19 (.826). She won the title here in 2022, still the only major victory on her resume. Lost in the Queen’s Club quarterfinals to eventual champion . She failed to convert four match points in a cracking quarterfinal loss in Berlin to World No. 1 , 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Barbora Krejcikova

View Profile 13-3 (.813)
The defending champion is in the process of a comeback from injury and illness that sidelined her for six months. Lost her first-round match to at Queen’s Club. She was 1-3 for the year coming into Eastbourne but saved a total of five match points against and to reach the quarterfinals, but withdrew (right thigh) ahead of that round. She opens her Wimbledon campaign against .

Petra Kvitova 38-13 (.745)
The two-time champion (2011, 2014) has announced her impending retirement and will be playing her final Wimbledon. She’s the only player in the draw with multiple titles at the All England Club.

Madison Keys

View Profile 25-10 (.714)
The reigning Australian Open champion has crafted the best record among active players on grass -- 50-18 (.735) on grass, the best record among Top 10 players at Wimbledon -- 25-10 (.714) and has won 11 of 12 Grand Slam matches this year.

Ons Jabeur

View Profile 19-7 (.731)
Made back-to-back finals in 2022 and 2023, but she has been challenged by a chronic knee injury. Jabeur defeated 2024 Wimbledon finalist in Berlin, before losing in the quarters to 2023 Wimbledon champion .

Victoria Azarenka

View Profile 36-14 (.720)
The two-time Australian Open champion, now 35, was a two-time semifinalist (2011, 2012) and impressively reached the Round of 16 last year. She came through qualifying at Bad Homburg and defeated in her first match before falling to .

Also in the Mix

Jelena Ostapenko

20-9 (.690), , and Swiatek 11-5 (.688), 20-10 (.667), 10-5 (.667), 14-8 (.636), 12-7 (.632) and 8-5 (.615)

Storylines to Watch

The oh-so dangerous floater

Check out the last name in that list of those in the mix: Vondrousova came into the Berlin Tennis Open with six match wins in six months -- and left with five more in six days. The 2023 Wimbledon champion won’t be seeded, but …

“I’ll just try to enjoy a few days off now and back to hard work,” Vondrousova said. “Stay grounded, stay in your lane, focus on tennis and play these matches as if nothing happened.”

Sabalenka’s state of mind

After a crushing three-set loss to Coco Gauff

in the Roland Garros final, headed for Mykonos, Greece with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis. He posted a story on Instagram that featured some terrific ocean views -- and Sabalenka sticking out her tongue.

Once in Berlin, she caught up with her good friend Paula Badosa

, where they were the only Top 8 seeds to reach the quarterfinals. Sabalenka’s three-set win over Rybakina was worthy of a Wimbledon final. There was an understandable letdown in the semifinals against Vondrousova.

Sabalenka, who missed last year’s tournament with a shoulder injury, is the consensus favorite to win her first title at the All England Club.

Gauff back-to-back?

She won on the red clay at Roland Garros and now will try to navigate the grass at Wimbledon. It’s happened 12 times (seven different women), but only twice this century, Serena Williams in 2002 and 2015.

Gauff will need to find a boost of momentum after losing her first and only match on grass in straight sets to Wang Xinyu in Berlin.

Paolini’s challenge

All year long, reporters have asked the Italian star how she could possibly back up her career year of 2024, when she won a WTA 1000 title and reached consecutive Grand Slam singles finals -- she erased a 0-3 career record at the All England Club by winning six matches.

In 2025, all she’s done is respond. Back in May, Paolini became the first Italian to win the title in Rome. And while she lost to Ons Jabeur

in her first match in Berlin, it’s worth remembering that Jabeur is a two-time Wimbledon finalist. Paolini then reached the semifinals in Bad Homburg.

Challengers, comebacks and home hopes

Eyes on the Brits

No. 40: Emma Raducanu

View Profile : The 22-year-old 2021 US Open champion started 2024 at No. 61 as she worked to return from injuries and surgeries. A strong grass-court season has moved her up to No. 40, 43 points ahead of . Raducanu has won seven career matches at Wimbledon and aims to join Ann Jones (1969) and Virginia Wade (1977) as British champions at the All England Club.

No. 42: Katie Boulter

View Profile : The 27-year-old began 2024 as the top-ranked British player at No. 56, well ahead of Raducanu. She climbed to No. 24 in January before Raducanu closed the gap with her grass-court results. Boulter, who also has seven career Wimbledon wins, is looking to join Jones and Wade as a British champion on home soil.

What to expect from …

No. 9 Paula Badosa

View Profile , 27, Spain: Has a sprightly 10-5 (.667) record at Wimbledon, but comes in with injury concerns. After defeating fellow Top 10 player in the Round of 16 in Berlin, retired with a right hip injury against eventual champion Wang Xinyu with a right hip injury. She withdrew from Bad Homburg.

No. 45 Tatjana Maria

View Profile , 37, Germany: Won seven matches in nine days at Queen’s Club, including four straight against Top 15 players to take the most prestigious title of her career. A semifinalist at Wimbledon three years ago. Lost her first match as a wild card in Bad Homburg to .

No. 74 Alexandra Eala

View Profile , 20, Philippines: Began the season ranked No. 136 and was a revelation at the Miami Open, defeating , , and to reach the semifinals before falling to . She current is ranking is No. 74. Eala qualified in Nottingham but lost her first round to -- but qualified again in Eastbourne and has reached her first career final with wins over and .

No. 56 Naomi Osaka

View Profile , 27, Japan: The four-time Grand Slam champion has an uneasy relationship with grass. Her Wimbledon record is 5-4 and her two third-round appearances came in 2017 and 2018. She lost her first-round match to in Berlin. Osaka split two matches in Bad Homburg, beating qualifier and losing to No. 5 seed .

Wimbledon draw at a glance

For the full breakdown of the 2025 Wimbledon draw, read here.

First Quarter

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka

opens against qualifier in a section stacked with grass-court threats, including 2023 champion , and . and also lurk as potential obstacles.

Second Quarter

Last year’s finalist Jasmine Paolini

and No. 5 seed Zheng Qinwen headline a quarter featuring , and . Paolini starts against comeback player Anastasija Sevastova, while Zheng faces , who has beaten her twice on grass.

Third Quarter

Jessica Pegula

and Dubai champion lead a competitive section featuring Petra Kvitova in her Wimbledon farewell, defending champion and . and add to a draw rich with experienced grass-court players.

Fourth Quarter

Coco Gauff

opens against , with potential tests from , and big-serving before a possible blockbuster quarterfinal against . Swiatek, coming off her first grass-court final in Bad Homburg, could face 2022 champion in the fourth round.

Quizzes and Polls for Wimbledon Week

Test your Wimbledon IQ

The grass season’s final and most iconic stop is here: Wimbledon. As 128 players chase history on the lawns of SW19, how well do you know the facts, figures and players in the mix? Take our quiz and find out.

The grass-court season is wrapping up, and the final stop is the most iconic of them all: Wimbledon. As the oldest tennis tournament in the world prepares for its 138th edition, 128 players are set to chase history -- and a £3 million winner’s check -- on the lawns of SW19.

Barbora Krejcikova

returns as defending champion after a fairytale run in 2024, while World No. 1 is still chasing her first Slam title off hard courts. , now a two-time major winner, is back where her rise began in 2019 -- but has never reached the quarters here. , Petra Kvitova, and add even more Grand Slam flair to the mix.

Think you’re up to speed? Test your Wimbledon IQ with our quiz and see how well you know the facts, figures and players heading into The Championships.

Your Pick: Who goes deep?

Some Top 10 names have limited Wimbledon experience, but that doesn’t mean they can’t break through. Who do you think will make the deepest run this year?

Greg Garber