Wimbledon 2025: Top Storylines to Follow at the All England Club

Where and how to watch. | Can Coco Gauff win the Channel Slam? | John McEnroe and Chris Evert offer insight on the Americans. | Sinner fires staffers?

Finally, The Championships, Wimbledon are here. Even with the short grass-court season, this year feels like Wimbledon took forever to arrive. That’s probably because the French Open finals were so thrilling that fans couldn’t wait to see more. It’s like watching the credits roll after the movie “Wicked.” You want the sequel, now!

Will Wimbledon 2025 produce a sequel or some new drama? Carlos Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion trying to three-peat. Novak Djokovic hopes to win a record-setting 25th Major title. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are trying to TikTok through controversy. Those are just some of the top storylines to follow for Wimbledon 2025.

When and Where To Watch Wimbledon 2025

Wimbledon begins tomorrow, June 30, at 6 a.m. EST and ends on July 13. ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes will broadcast live coverage. Expanded live coverage will be available on the Middle Weekend, Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6, starting at 6 a.m.

“Wimbledon Match Point,” a recap show, will air each day for the first five days.

Similar to TNT Sports' streaming on Max, every match from every court streams live on ESPN+ with on-demand replays and a daily highlights show. ESPN+ costs an additional $11.99 per month or $119 annually.

The Tennis Channel will air a primetime Wimbledon panel show daily. 

Can American Men End Wimbledon Drought?

An American male hasn’t won Wimbledon since Pete Sampras back in 2000. Andy Roddick was the last American male to reach the final at Wimbledon (2009). But that doesn’t mean the Americans aren’t improving, said John McEnroe and Chris Evert during an online press conference.

I participated in the press conference and was surprised at how optimistic they were about American tennis, especially the men.

“I definitely think that we're closer than we've been in quite a while, and I think that some of it was we just assumed that this would keep happening in the early 2000s, and then when we realized that it wasn't, that all of a sudden legends came in... Federer, example, and Nadal, Djokovic,” said McEnroe. “Then the more countries putting more resources into it. We were sort of falling behind.”

Indeed, Americans continue to make progress. Fritz reached the final at the 2024 U.S. Open. Paul, Tiafoe, and Shelton have all reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam.

“In terms of who we have, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, Francis Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka. They're all sort of the same age. I think it's good when you have people pushing each other,” said McEnroe.

Three-time Wimbledon Champion Chris Evert agreed, pointing out that there are four American men ranked in the Top 20 and eight in the Top 50.

“That's unheard of. Geez, weren't we always talking like 20 years ago, what's happened to men's tennis, U.S. tennis? All of a sudden, now this year we've had four in the top 10, which is incredible,” said Evert. “On the women's side you have the two Grand Slam winners already this year are American, Madison and Coco. You got Jessica Pegula who reached the finals in the US Open. So American tennis, both men and women joined together, has never looked so good.”

End of the Road for Novak Djokovic?

Novak Djokovic is trying to make history while fighting Father Time. If he wins Wimbledon, he will be the oldest man ever to win a Grand Slam. A 2025 Wimbledon win would also give him a record 25th Major title.

In the last 10 years, Wimbledon has been Djokovic’s most successful Slam tournament. He has won or reached the final in his last six Wimbledon appearances.

Still, with Alcaraz and Sinner distancing themselves from the field, the odds favor Djokovic retiring before he claims another slam.

As much as I love watching people make history, I don’t see Djokovic winning this tournament. He must survive six matches over two weeks and then possibly face a player 15 to 16 years his junior. Where have I seen this drama unfold before? At the U.S. Open in 2018, Serena Williams vs. Naomi Osaka, and Serena vs. Bianca Andreescu in 2019.

Can Coco Gauff Win the Channel Slam?

CoCo Gauff for New Balance and Miu Miu | Photo: New Balance

Gauff is the youngest player in the Top Five and just won the French Open, which could be her biggest challenge. It’s tough to win the Channel Slam, the French Open, and Wimbledon all in a row.

Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam titles, including seven at the French Open, only once won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year (1974). Steffi Graf, who won two Golden Slams (All four Majors and the Olympic Gold medal), won the Channel Slam three times. Margaret Court and Billie Jean King achieved the Channel Slam in 1970 and 1972, respectively.

Martina Navratilova won two Channel Slams in just three years, between 1982 and 1984. Then there’s Serena Williams, who made history by winning both Paris and London back-to-back, achieving the double in 2002 and again in 2015.

“I think the toughest transition is the grass,” said Evert. “The clay you've got five weeks before tournaments, the red clay. You can really get used to playing on clay by the time the French Open comes around, but Wimbledon is really tough, especially for players who do well at the French.”

Can Alcaraz Three-Peat?

I’m picking Alcaraz to three-peat and not just because he’s the favorite. He has a manageable draw. He plays Fabio Fognini in the first round. Big name, not a big problem.

A possible roadblock comes in the third round, where Alcaraz’s projected opponent is Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime is quick and has a powerful serve. Although he appears to be a veteran, Auger-Aliassime is only 24. Alcaraz is 4-3 against him, winning the last four meetings. Sometimes Alcaraz lets his mind wander. He can’t do that against Felix, a player with top-tier skills.

The only other tough opponents in his quarter are Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev. Alcaraz has winning records against both. He is 6-0 against Tsitsipas and 2-1 against Rublev.

Sinner’s Eye-Raising Staff Dismissals

Sinner, like Sabalenka, won three Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Like Sabalenka, Sinner has claimed two Australian Open titles and one U.S. Open title. His best performance at Wimbledon was reaching the semifinals in 2023.

I had him as the second favorite, behind Alcaraz, to win Wimbledon until news broke that Sinner fired his trainer and physio. He did not explain. The guys he fired worked for Djokovic for years. Sinner fired them after a few months.

Days before Wimbledon, you fired two staff members without explanation. Yes, this raises questions. The last time Sinner fired staff members was after he tested positive for a banned substance twice.

The British Are Coming! But Can They Win?

There will be 23 British players in the men’s and women’s singles main draw, the most since 1984. Only seven of them qualified based on their ranking. Fifteen were given wildcards. Oliver Tarvet, who plays for the University of San Diego, came through qualifying.

British No. 1 Jack Draper enters the tournament seeded No. 4, the highest seed for a Brit since Andy Murray. Tons of pressure on Draper.

This season, Draper won Indian Wells and has wins over Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz, who reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2024.

"He’s much more aware of what his strengths are—that is the biggest change this year," said Leon Smith, Britain’s Davis Cup captain, to BBC Sport. "You don’t want to be extending points if you have the chance to get the first strike in. He's not afraid to step in and be brave, including in the big moments."

Emma Raducanu, ranked No. 40, is the British No. 1 on the women’s side. Last year, she reached the fourth round, her best showing at a Grand Slam since winning the U.S. Open.

Enough with the Coco-Sabalenka Controversy

Reporters asked Gauff about it. They also asked Djokovic, the GOAT, about it. They asked Sabalenka about it, and she’s the only player who can change people’s opinion of her behavior.

I’m tired of the TikTok videos, which seem to be part of a campaign to improve Sabalenka’s image after she made disrespectful comments about Gauff following the French Open final.

I’ve watched Sabalenka’s press conference, and she said she apologized to Gauff via text and in person. Gauff said she accepts Sabalenka’s apology. END OF STORY. At least it should be.

However, reporters continue to ask people about it, when the only person who needs to address this is Sabalenka. It’s on her to show people that being bitter and disrespectful isn’t who she is.

If she moves on and never disrespects a player like that again, people will see the French Open as a low point. Fans can be forgiving, but that might take longer than a TikTok dance.

Who Gets Through Women’s Wide-Open Field?

Barbora Krejcikova is the defending ladies’ champion. She’s ranked No. 17 but withdrew from the Eastbourne grass court tournament due to a thigh injury.

Krejcikova is one of several former Wimbledon champions in the women’s main draw. The 2023 Wimbledon champion, Marketa Vondrousova, and the 2021 winner Elena Rybakina are working their way back into form. Vondrousova won the grass court championships in Berlin, defeating Sabalenka in straight sets in the semifinals.

Rybakina had match points against Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova received a wildcard.

In Andy Roddick’s podcast, tennis journalist Jon Wertheim warned against overlooking Canadian Carson Brastine, who faces Sabalenka in the first round. Brastine, who played at Texas A&M, upset 2019 U.S. Open champion Andreescu in the third round of qualifying.