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The Hindu
29-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Whites on greens: on Wimbledon 2025
Tennis loves its traditions, and The Championships at Wimbledon more so. In the recent past though, the sport's most prestigious Major has progressively cut out many of its famed anachronisms. The bespoke grass-court seeding formula, the Middle Sunday holiday and best-of-five set doubles matches have all been done away with. Now, for the first time in the 148-year history of the tournament, there will be no line judges, and electronic calling will take effect on all courts. Yet, when the first ball is struck on Monday, there will be no dearth of the verdant pomp and splendour. If anything, a less clustered court, with its glazed green grass, may lead to a better visual experience, and give the best players, clothed in pristine white, a broader canvas to work their magic on. Chief among them will be Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the world's top two men who have now established an engaging rivalry reminiscent of the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal duels. Alcaraz, in fact, is the two-time defending champion at SW19 and has won four of his last five tournaments, including the Queen's Club Championships. World No. 1 Sinner does not have similar grass pedigree, but his first-ever Slam semifinal was at the All England Club in 2023, and he won the only meeting with Alcaraz on grass, at Wimbledon 2022. However, 24-time Major winner and seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is not to be discounted. The 38-year-old Serb is not in Slam-winning shape but grass presents the best chance. He finished runner-up in 2024 just weeks after a knee operation and the last time he exited Wimbledon before the final was in 2017. Among women, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, despite the bitter French Open final loss to Coco Gauff, remains the player to beat and there is no reason why her power-packed game cannot triumph in southwest London. But the last eight editions have seen eight different victors, pointing to an open field. For Gauff and five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek, Wimbledon has been the least rewarding Slam and they will be hoping to crack the code. American Gauff has not gone past the fourth round while Swiatek's best showing is quarterfinals. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina are among the other notable names. The Indian presence will again be limited to doubles with Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri, Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli competing. As the country's tennis remains stuck in a vicious cycle of a shrinking talent pool, administrative apathy and endless litigation, it will be up to these players to keep the flag flying.
USA Today
29-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
When does Wimbledon start? Tennis' third Grand Slam set to begin in London
The third Grand Slam event of the 2025 tennis season is at hand as the best players in the world convene in London for The Championships at Wimbledon. The 138 edition of the storied grass-court tournament takes place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The top-ranked players automatically qualify for the main draw, which includes 32 seeded players in both the men's and women's pool. A total of 128 players comprise the field in each bracket. Play continues throughout the fortnight, with only one scheduled day off on Sunday, July 6. However, that day is frequently used to make up matches delayed or postponed by rain. Here are the essentials to get you ready for Wimbledon 2025: When is the 2025 Wimbledon tournament? The 2025 Wimbledon tournament will begin on Monday, June 30, 2025 and be played over 14 days before concluding on Sunday, July 13, in London. How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon tournament The 2025 Wimbledon tournament will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, and the Tennis Channel. Fans wanting to stream the action can watch matches on ESPN+ or Fubo. Who are the defending Wimbledon champions? Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is the two-time defending men's singles champion at Wimbledon and just won the French Open men's singles title for the second year in a row on the clay at Roland Garros. A three-peat would cement the 22-year-old Alcaraz with some of the all-time greats at the All England Club. Since the Open era began in 1968, only Roger Federer (2003-07), Pete Sampras (1993-95; 1997-2000) and Bjorn Borg (1976-80) have managed to win Wimbledon three years in a row. On the women's side, Barbora Krejčíková of the Czech Republic is the defending singles champion after she outlasted Jasmine Paolini in three sets to become the second consecutive Czech winner. Markéta Vondroušová shocked the tennis world by becoming the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon when she prevailed in 2023. Who are the top seeded players at Wimbledon? Italian Jannik Sinner, the reigning Australian Open and U.S. Open champion is this year's top seed on the men's side at Wimbledon. That's despite losing to Alcaraz in an epic French Open final. Alcaraz is seeded second, followed by No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, and No. 4 seed – and hometown favorite – Jack Draper of the United Kingdom. Aryna Sabalenka is the No. 1 women's seed ahead American Coco Gauff, who is the No. 2 seed despite beating Sabalenka in the 2025 French Open final. American Jessica Pegula is the No. 3 seed in the bracket.
