Breaking Down 2025 Wimbledon Men’s Contenders

We have reached that time of year again when tennis gets very exciting. Two weeks ago, in the French Open finals, the No. 2 player triumphed over the No. 1. This makes the next edition of Wimbledon very intriguing, as the No. 1 players, Sinner and Sabalenka, seek to reassert their authority. Today, we look at the contenders in the men’s draw.

2025 Wimbledon Men’s Contenders

Carlos Alcaraz

It is only right that we start with Carlos Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon champion. Alcaraz is ranked No. 2, but after the way he triumphed at the French Open, he might well feel like No. 1.  Even so, Alcaraz cannot become No. 1 if he wins Wimbledon, as he will have defended his points from last year. In fact, if he loses early, he could lose a lot of ranking points.

This will not be on his mind as Alcaraz is the best player on grass, and he will look to prove it once again at this Wimbledon. If Alcaraz wins, he will join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic as the only players to have won three consecutive Grand Slams. Alcaraz is starting to join the ranks of the absolute greats of tennis, even at this early stage.

As for his game, he is the most hybrid of hybrid tennis players. In his game, you can see a little bit of the three great former players. His appearance and haircut are not too dissimilar to Djokovic’s; he fights to the end like Djokovic. He is a shotmaker like Federer, and his forehand is his stronger shot, similar to Nadal’s. Also, like Nadal, the serve is not Alcaraz’s greatest strength, which is unusual for a shotmaker.  In tennis history, shotmakers have often been known for having one of the best serves in the game.  This is why I believe Alcaraz is a hybrid player of the three greats who went before him.

This might explain why, even if Alcaraz is the best player on paper, reaching the finals is often a struggle.  Alcaraz struggles to coast through matches with his serve; thus, he often has to fight through early rounds.  Those struggles can go right up to the semifinal.  However, expect to see Alcaraz in the final. There are threats, but I don’t see anyone taking him out unless they play lights out for up to five hours; a tall order.  In the third round of the 2024 tournament, Francis Tiafoe had the opportunity to defeat Alcaraz but was unable to capitalize on it.

This is also why Alcaraz is the most popular player among the media and tennis fans attending matches. As everything is often hard work, he has to keep coming up with amazing shots, and he is a showman.  Alcaraz does not coast through service games, which instantly makes him good television.

Based on this, I expect Alcaraz to make the final and heavy favourite to retain his title.

Jannik Sinner

The current No. 1, Jannik Sinner, has endured a very eventful year so far! It started well enough, with him retaining his Australian Open title fairly easily, defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the final. However, there were rumours and rumblings from his failed drug test that a ban would need to be served.  Sinner and his lawyers managed to agree on a three-month ban which commenced in February and finished in May, just before the Italian Open.

This left many people confused, but it turns out that it is not unusual for WADA to make a deal in certain scenarios.  Sinner returned and immediately reached the Italian Open final, where he lost to his momentary nemesis, Carlos Alcaraz.

As we now know, the two played an incredible French Open final where, quite frankly, Sinner should have won in straight sets, and somehow ended up losing in five hours and 29 minutes. This is significant because Sinner goes into Wimbledon with a certain amount of uncertainty. Uncertainty in his mind as Wimbledon is a tournament he has yet to conquer. Sinner will want to show he is the best player in the world.  I believe he has the ability to win Wimbledon.

However, despite major improvements in his game over the last twenty-four months, particularly his serve, an issue exists. His transition game.  Sinner, at this stage, does not use it enough to close out opponents and relies on bludgeoning his opponents from the baseline. This works on slower, high-bouncing hardcourts but not on grass.  A top player still needs a net game, and Alcaraz has this in his repertoire.

This makes Sinner more vulnerable to an upset. Last year, he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals in four sets.  Sinner cannot afford this kind of slip-up this year.  Sinner has the serve and the movement on grass. I make him my second favourite behind Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner will need to negotiate the threats of Medvedev, Musetti, Zverev et al.

Novak Djokovic

I am almost amazed that a 38-year-old man is a main contender at this year’s Wimbledon.

However, it is a fact that Novak Djokovic is the third-best player in the world, whether it is confirmed in the rankings list or not.  I am not sure if it is a testament to Djokovic’s endurance or the state of the rest of the ATP Tour. Maybe it is a bit of both, 60/40 in favour of the current Tour not being up to scratch.

Either way, Djokoic is a seven-time champion and a ten-time finalist, so he needs to be taken seriously.  Djokovic is also the best mover on grass, along with Carlos Alcaraz.

The reason Djokovic is a main contender is that he consistently beats all other players in the draw, regardless of their ranking or reputation. Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open just a few months ago. That was four sets; he did not need five to do it.

Djokovic struggles more with Sinner at the moment.  Mainly as Sinner’s serve is world-class, and Djokovic’s return of serve is not quite as good as it used to be.  It is fairly normal for the return of serve to be the one area that diminishes with age, even more than the serve.  With this in mind, it all depends on which side of the draw Djokovic falls on. If Djokovic gets Sinner’s side, it will be tough to reach the final unless Sinner loses early in a big upset.  If Djokovic gets Alcaraz’s side of the draw, he will fancy his chances.

Should Djokovic win Wimbledon, he will tie Roger Federer’s record of eight titles.

Other Players To Watch

It seems unusual to have only three contenders. Let’s look at some of the dark horses:

Taylor Fritz

Fritz has done very well on grass the last few years. I saw him win two Eastbourne titles in 2022 and 2024, and he also beat Zverev last weekend to win the title in Stuttgart.  However, Wimbledon is another level. In 2022, he was unable to defeat Nadal in the quarterfinals, despite Nadal being virtually playing on one leg.  And last year succumbed in the quarterfinal to Musetti. Fritz’s biggest issues are his relative lack of movement and limited game for a Top 5 player.

Lorenzo Musetti

Many fans and media outlets appreciate Musetti for the tennis he plays.  Plus, he is one of the very few players with a one-handed backhand.  Musetti reached the semifinal last year but lost relatively easily to Djokovic.  Musetti is a talented player with good movement and very nice shots.  A few ingredients are missing for him to become a great player. His stamina is not the best, plus he often plays too far behind the baseline, which can make him ineffective at the wrong moments. If Musetti can overcome these, he could one day become a major champion.

Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev has been to the last two Wimbledon semifinals, losing to Alcaraz each time. Therefore, Medvedev’s path to the final will include avoiding Alcaraz at all costs. That depends on the draw.  If Medvedev reaches the final and wins Wimbledon this year, he would become the first player in history to win while returning serve from literally the back fence… At least there will be no line judges this year to get in his way.

Alexander Zverev

Finalist at this year’s Australian Open and 2024 French Open finalist, Zverev will not be seen as a Wimbledon contender. I have pointed out Zverev’s passive play since 2021, and now that noise has reached a crescendo. Ex-players and legends such as Roger Federer and Justine Henin are now offering similar constructive criticism.   It is very challenging for Zverev to change his mindset and adopt an aggressive playing style. Additionally, we are unsure how his diabetes affects him in major matches.

Jack Draper

It is likely Draper will be seeded No. 4 at this year’s Wimbledon.  This means he will avoid Alcaraz and Sinner before the semifinals.

Even so, reaching the semifinals will be a major achievement. Despite his current high ranking, I do not think he possesses the fast-twitch fibres, movement, and requisite transition and volley skills to be a champion. Perhaps in the future, if he continues to work hard.  Draper is not a natural talent but clearly a hard worker; whether that is enough, time will tell.

Honourable mentions go to Holger Rune and Alexander Bublik as guys who can make an impact.