Wimbledon takeaways: Upsets everywhere, the best shots and the funniest moments
This week, Wimbledon concluded with two contrasting finals. Iga Świątek routed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in a record-breaking women's final, before Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner delivered the latest chapter in the story of their rivalry at the top of the sport. Sinner avenged his agonizing French Open final defeat with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Wimbledon win.
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The Athletic's tennis team, Matthew Futterman, Charlie Eccleshare and James Hansen, present their takeaways from the third Grand Slam of 2025, from the best shots and funniest moments to the biggest disappointments and the most incredible matches.
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Charlie Eccleshare: Not necessarily the highest quality, but the Aryna Sabalenka vs. Amanda Anisimova semifinal had the key ingredient of not knowing who was going to win until the moment it was over.
A final was at stake. There were flashpoints, like the players disagreeing over a possible mid-point 'hindrance' from Anisimova, and her non-apology after a dead net cord. It had just the right amount of spice to go with the drama.
Matthew Futterman: Another vote for Anisimova beating Sabalenka in the women's semis. So many shifts. So much surprise. A big upset with a ton on the line. And then the human drama news conference from Sabalenka.
James Hansen: Rinky Hijikata and David Pel's comeback from two match points down to beat No. 1 seeds Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić in the men's doubles semifinal.
In singles, Emma Raducanu vs. Sabalenka under the lights on Centre Court.
Eccleshare: An exchange that said everything about the special relationship.
Former British No. 1 Annabel Croft, with her plummy, perfect English pronunciation, asked America's Ben Shelton the following in an on-court interview: 'I was reading that, in college, you loved your American football and you were a quarterbacker. What are the comparisons?'
After laughter from the crowd and Shelton at what she'd just said, a blushing Croft continued: 'I hope I've got this right. What are the comparisons between tennis and American football?'
Shelton, more than 35 years Croft's junior, gave a good answer and added: 'But yeah, I grew up playing quarterback or quarterbacker, either way.'
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Then they both started laughing again.
Futterman: Mirra Andreeva spending her off-day wearing a goofy hat and waving a sign and cheering on her coach Conchita Martinez in a legends match. Tennis needs more Mirra Andreevas.
Hansen: Flavio Cobolli did the decent thing when Novak Djokovic slipped late in their quarterfinal, bringing his racket over and holding it for him. Djokovic's pat on the back, as if to say, 'yeah nice one, I'm going to beat you now,' was dryly brilliant.
Eccleshare:It was a tournament with so many early-round upsets that many anticipated matches didn't even get close to happening. How would the slated Jack Draper vs. Djokovic, Coco Gauff vs. Iga Świątek and Taylor Fritz vs. Alexander Zverev quarterfinals pan out, we wondered.
Futterman: I predicted Alcaraz in four sets in the final in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Sinner won in four sets in 3 hours and 4 minutes. Predicting a four-set match on grass between these two would last close to four hours makes little sense in hindsight.
Hansen: That the District Line, the main transport artery into Wimbledon, would ever work properly.
Eccleshare: Having only ever reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam once, and with a ranking of No. 104, no one saw Laura Siegemund coming.
Having been previously best known for her slow play and ability to wind up her opponents, Siegemund took out Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the third round with a devilish performance of grass-court slice and dice. She very nearly repeated the trick in the quarterfinal against the world No. 1 Sabalenka, but fell just short despite taking the first set and being a break up in the decider.
Siegemund's run also reopened the discussion around what is and isn't acceptable in tennis from a 'dark arts' perspective.
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Futterman: Anisimova. She's overcome the loss of her father when she was 17. She's overcome injuries. She knew herself enough to take an eight-month burnout break when she needed one. And this year, she has climbed back from nowhere in the rankings to a first WTA 1,000 title (one rung below a major) before making the Wimbledon final at 23 and beating the world No. 1 to get there. She's so young, and now that she has lost the final in epic fashion, she's got the makings of another incredible story if — or perhaps when — she wins one of those four big trophies.
Hansen: Świątek getting into her tennis time machine, evolving her game by looking backward, and bringing it all together at the most important tournament in the world. Her floor is so high that anything but domination is viewed as insufficient. She's now No. 2 in the WTA race and definitively the greatest women's player since Serena Williams after the 'worst' 13 months of her career.
Eccleshare: The 'sandwich generation' of men's tennis: those born in the 1990s who grew up with the Big Three and have now been left in the dust by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, the poster boys for this group, both lost in the first round and spoke after their matches of the physical and mental turmoil they have been experiencing. Daniil Medvedev has at least won a Grand Slam and been the world No. 1, but he also went out in the first round and currently looks as lost as those two.
Others like Casper Ruud missed the tournament completely through injury, while Andrey Rublev had to play at his maximum level just to take a set off Alcaraz in the fourth round.
Futterman: Grigor Dimitrov tearing his pectoral muscle two sets up against Jannik Sinner. Just the worst ending to a night that was becoming eerie and electric all at once. A close second was Novak Djokovic being so injured for his semifinal against Sinner.
Hansen: The questioning of first Emma Raducanu about her dating life, and then of Cameron Norrie (?!) about Emma Raducanu's dating life. Confected, sexist, uncalled-for, get rid of it.
Eccleshare: He's not a newcomer to those who follow tennis closely, but to a Grand Slam audience, and certainly a Wimbledon one, this was a first proper glimpse of Cobolli. The 23-year-old Italian came into the tournament with no grass-court pedigree and isn't typically thought of as a massive server, but he found a groove and went all the way to the quarterfinals.
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Once there, many feared a shellacking on what was his first appearance on Centre Court, up against his 'biggest idol' and seven-time champion Djokovic. But Cobolli won the first set and in the closing stages had the crowd chanting 'Flavio' as they desperately tried to will the match into a fifth.
Previously thought of as a flashy shotmaker but one who wouldn't always make the smartest shot selections, Cobolli appears to be maturing and making the most of his gifts.
Futterman: Gabriel Diallo of Canada, a second-round loser to Taylor Fritz in five sets. Watch out.
Hansen: Solana Sierra's seizing of her lucky-loser spot and her ensuing run to the fourth round bodes well for her future.
Eccleshare: 'I had practices where the ball was listening to me.'
Świątek proved she can be as adept with words as she is with a racket in her hand. After beating Danielle Collins in the third round, she discussed how things had clicked for her on grass. The ball continued to listen to exactly what she said throughout the tournament.
Futterman: 'They're definitely several levels above everyone right now.' Novak Djokovic on Sinner and Alcaraz.
Hansen: Keys' delicate sideswipe at tennis highlights: 'It seems like you're only watching highlights of the other person, and you're like: 'I swear I was up 5-1, so a little confused as to how that happened.''
Eccleshare: Fritz not only returning Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's 153-mile-per-hour body serve (a Wimbledon record), but doing so with enough precision that he actually won the point, was pretty mindblowing. Fritz, who isn't a fan of the body serve, said he would use this as evidence whenever his coaches suggest that he uses the shot more.
Futterman: Yes.
Hansen: Corentin Moutet cannot be denied his flowers.
🎾 ATP:
🏆 Jannik Sinner (1) def. Carlos Alcaraz (2) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to win Wimbledon in London. It is his fourth Grand Slam title.
🎾 WTA:
🏆 Iga Świątek (8) def. Amanda Anisimova (13) 6-0, 6-0 to win Wimbledon in London. It is her sixth Grand Slam title.
📈 Amanda Anisimova makes her top-10 debut after her run to the Wimbledon final, rising from No. 12 to No. 7
📈 Andrey Rublev returns to the top 10, moving up from No. 14 to No. 10
📈 Laura Siegemund ascends 50 places from No. 104 to No. 54 after making the semifinals.
📉 Barbora Krejčíková, the 2024 Wimbledon champion, falls 62 places from No. 16 to No. 78 after losing in the third round this year.
📉 Daniil Medvedev drops out of the top 10 after losing his points from last year's Wimbledon semifinals, falling from No. 9 to No. 14.
📉 Donna Vekić falls from No. 25 to No. 52 after experiencing the same fate as Medvedev.
🎾 ATP
📍Los Cabos, Mexico: Mifel Tennis Open (250) featuring Andrey Rublev, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Denis Shapovalov, Nishesh Basavareddy.
📍Gstaad, Switzerland: Swiss Open (250) featuring Casper Ruud, Alexander Bublik, Stan Wawrinka, Arthur Rinderknech.
📍Bastad, Sweden: Nordea Open (250) featuring Francisco Cerúndolo, Tallon Griekspoor, Nuno Borges, Elmer Møller.
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📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV
🎾 WTA
📍Hamburg, Germany: Hamburg Open (250) featuring Ekaterina Alexandrova, Dayana Yastremska, Eva Lys, Loïs Boisson.
📍Inasi, Romania: Inasi Open (250) featuring Elina Avanesyan, Jacqueline Cristian, Ann Li, Sorana Cirstea.
📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel
Tell us what you noticed this week in the comments below as the men's and women's tours continue.
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