The summer always sees a wealth of big sporting events, with 2025 having the FIFA Club World Cup and various youth and women’s football on top of all the usual fare. In that latter group, we have some exceptional summer racing festivals, golf’s Open Championship and bags of cricket, plus much more besides.
However, for many (and especially tennis fans!), the highlight of summer from a sporting perspective is Wimbledon. The only major tennis tournament played on grass and easily the biggest event held in the UK each year, Wimbledon really captures the public’s imagination. It is the sort of tournament that attracts people who don’t normally pay much attention to tennis, and for two weeks in June and July, it makes headlines on both the front and back pages of the newspapers.
Both of those points, its appeal to the wider public and its ability to stretch beyond the sports coverage of the media, are heightened tenfold when there is a genuine British contender for glory. British tennis no longer has Andy Murray, who won at SW19 in both 2013 and 2016, but it may well be in the strongest place it has been for a long, long time.
But will we see a home win at Wimbledon in 2025? Well, leaving aside the various wheelchair titles and also the doubles contests, there is just maybe a chance that the home faithful will have something to cheer on Centre Court this year.
Current Strength in British Tennis
Having stated that the sport is in a very good state in the UK right now, let us have a look at the rankings to back that up.
Men
The following men will all feature at Wimbledon this year, with their current world ranking in brackets:
- Jack Draper (4)
- Jacob Fearnley (51)
- Cameron Norrie (61)
- Billy Harris (142)
Women
Meanwhile, the women do not boast a player ranked anywhere near the lofty heights of Draper, but they do boast the UK’s only active Grand Slam champion in Emma Raducanu.
- Emma Raducanu (38)
- Katie Boulter (41)
- Harriet Dart (124)
- Francesca Jones (125)
- Heather Watson (148)
- Jodie Burrage (164)
Clearly the UK is not stacked with talent in the same way as the USA is, or Russia, or even Italy. However, by the meagre standards we have become accustomed to, this represents very decent strength in depth.
In terms of providing a potential champion, it would be easy to assume that only Draper has a chance. He is, of course, clearly the best hope for British glory but we should remember that Raducanu was ranked 150th in the world when she won the US Open. She had to play three qualifying matches to even make the main draw and her incredible triumph should serve as an inspiration to the lower-ranked players. They will all benefit from brilliant home support and if they can get a few wins and a bit of momentum who knows what might be possible if the draw falls kindly too.
Can Raducanu or Boulter Really Do It?
Much as we don’t want to write off the likes of Dart and Jones, as top-50 players, it is clear that Raducanu, aged 22, and 28-year-old Boulter, offer the best chance of a first women’s singles winner since Virginia Wade back in 1977. Raducanu seems to be forever battling injuries and changing coaches but she has certainly found more stability and some improved performances of late.
She remains young and though she might well never win another Grand Slam, her best years, in terms of consistent performances, should be ahead of her. Even so, there are 12 women priced at shorter odds than the Brit and 50/1 for her to follow in the footsteps of Wade is unlikely to tempt too many punters.
She has had a solid prep though, making the quarter finals at the HSBC Championships (Queen’s). However, after a surprise second-round loss to 19-year-old Aussie Maya Joint at Eastbourne, she accepted she had to get her “head in the game” for Wimbledon after receiving “some really bad news” which affected her mentally.
As for Boulter, she is available at the longer odds of 100/1, though some firms are sticking their necks out and pricing her at 400/1. She almost broke into the top 20 for the first time back in November but has dropped down the rankings a little since then. She has never made it past the third round of any major, though she made it that far at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023.
But Maybe Draper Will Deliver
In truth, much as we would like to believe that another Brit can somehow go all the way at Wimbledon, for anyone other than Draper to make it to the quarters would be a huge achievement. Fearnley and Norrie certainly have what it takes to win a few games and perhaps cause an upset along the way, but it would be a seismic shock if either were to emerge as a serious contender.
Norrie was ranked eighth in the world in 2022, but he is 29 years old now and his best days could well be behind him. At least, however, he has a little pedigree, having made it to the last four at Wimbledon in 2022. That said, the bookies make him a 250/1 shot for glory. Fearnley is available at a similar price but at the age of 23, he is heading the right way and crept into the world’s top 50 at the start of June. He is a decent all-surfaces player and won the Challenger Tour Nottingham Open on grass in 2024, but the third round would be an accomplishment for him.
So, what of Draper? Can he emulate Murray and land the title, becoming the first English men’s singles champion since a certain Fred Perry back in 1936? Good recent form has propelled him into the top four in the world rankings and that will help him in terms of the draw. We predict Draper will win Wimbledon one day, but might that day be the 13th of July 2025?
The Londoner is the fourth favourite behind Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, with some bookies offering just 15/2 for him to go all the way. We fancy he could beat Djokovic, should their paths cross and indeed the Serbian is seeded sixth, with Alexander Zverev third. But can he beat Sinner, Alcaraz, or most probably both to win the title?
It is a huge ask but the last 12 months or so have been brilliant for Draper. He made the semis at the US Open and the fourth round at both majors this year. He has the game, he has the mentality and he will have the support, so maybe, just maybe, Draper can upset the odds and claim the trophy.