Five men to watch out for at Wimbledon
Wimbledon 2025Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England ClubCoverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage details.
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his bid for a third Wimbledon title in a row when the Grand Slam begins on Monday.The question is - can anyone stop him?The Spanish world number two defeated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the previous two men's finals on Centre Court at SW19.The 22-year-old could follow Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic as only the fifth man in the Open era to win three straight Wimbledon titles.Following his epic French Open final triumph over world number one Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz clinched the Queen's title to start his grass-court season on a high.While Jack Draper leads Britain's hopes of a home champion, BBC Sport takes a look at who else could challenge Alcaraz over the coming fortnight.
Novak Djokovic - the history chaser
Age: 38 Country: Serbia Ranking: 6 Strength: Defence
Djokovic had won four Wimbledon titles in a row before losing a five-set thriller to Alcaraz in 2023.Alcaraz also swept Djokovic aside a year later to again deny the former world number one a record-equalling eighth men's title.Djokovic continues to pursue an outright-record 25th major singles title since drawing level with Margaret Court at the 2023 US Open.A new era in men's tennis has dawned, with Alcaraz and Sinner sharing the past six slams between them - and seven of the past eight since Alcaraz's first Wimbledon title two years ago.But Djokovic, behind only Roger Federer for men's titles won at SW19, remains an ever-present threat on the sport's biggest stages - not least on grass - as he pursues yet another historic feat.
Jannik Sinner - the world number one
Age: 23 Country: Italy Ranking: 1 Strength: Precision
Sinner was devastated by his loss to Alcaraz at Roland Garros, missing three championship points after taking a two-set lead in a five-and-a-half hour epic.He has reached at least the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in the past three years, with his best result a semi-final defeat by Djokovic in 2023.But a surprise second-round loss to Alexander Bublik at the Halle Open this month cut short the world number one's preparations.Sinner has maintained his stranglehold on the top ranking for 12 months, despite serving a three-month doping suspension earlier this year.It means he can only meet second seed Alcaraz in the final - something that would be eagerly anticipated after their Roland Garros thriller.
Alexander Bublik - the unpredictable threat
Age: 28 Country: Kazakhstan Ranking: 30 Strength: Drop shot
Bublik's resurgence continues to gather momentum.The Kazakh's career had stagnated to the point that he considered quitting tennis after losing in the Wimbledon third round last year.Bublik lost eight of his first 10 matches in 2025 as he fell to 82 the rankings, but his coach's suggestion of a "Hangover"-style reset in Las Vegas appears to have worked wonders.After reaching his first major quarter-final with a superb run at the French Open, the unpredictable Bublik won the Halle Open to rise to 30th in the world.His victory over Sinner was one of four wins over the top-eight seeds on his way to an emotional title triumph - proving that, on his day, he is a match for anyone.
Daniil Medvedev - the nearly man
Age: 29 Country: Russia Ranking: 9 Strength: Return
A Wimbledon semi-finalist in each of the past two editions, can Medvedev take the next step this year?Medvedev is one of just five active men's players to win a major, having triumphed at the 2021 US Open - but he has lost his five other major finals.The former world number one is a hard-court specialist - his six major finals have been split between the Australian Open and US Open - but he has a solid recent record at Wimbledon.He was stopped by eventual champion Alcaraz in the last four in both 2023 and 2024, winning the first set in last year's meeting on Centre Court before being overpowered.He prepared for this year's tournament by reaching the Halle final, losing to Bublik in straight sets, and will expect another deep run at Wimbledon.
Jiri Lehecka - the dark horse
Age: 23 Country: Czech Republic Ranking: 25 Strength: Forehand
Lehecka crashed the party at Queen's by beating Draper on route to the final, where he offered admirable resistance in a three-set loss to Alcaraz.The 23-year-old reached a career-high rank of 22 in February after winning his first eight matches of the year, clinching the Brisbane title before losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open fourth round.A run to the Madrid Open semi-finals last year - where he beat the great Rafael Nadal and Medvedev - was ended by an unfortunate back injury, which ultimately ruled him out of Wimbledon.Back to full fitness this year, he demonstrated his grass-court pedigree at Queen's and will look to maintain that momentum to improve on his fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon in 2023.
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