Way-too-early Grand Slam predictions for the rest of 2025

The first major of the 2025 season came to a close over the weekend as Madison Keys and Jannik Sinner claimed the singles trophies at the Australian Open.

In her 46th Slam appearance — and last before turning 30 next month — Keys won her first major title behind a stunning run throughout the tournament. The No. 19 seed rattled off one impressive victory after another before defeating No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals in dramatic fashion and then upsetting two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. She became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to beat the top two players en route to the trophy in Melbourne.

Keys credited her surprise triumph in part to letting go of the burden of having to win a Slam.

“I finally got to the point where I was OK if it didn’t happen,” Keys said after the final. “I didn’t need it to feel like I had a good career, or that I deserved to be talked about as a great tennis player. I feel like finally letting go of that kind of internal talk that I had just gave me the ability to actually go out and play some really good tennis to actually win a Grand Slam.”

On the men’s side, there was remarkably less suspense as Sinner, the world No. 1, cruised relatively unscathed throughout the fortnight and successfully defended his 2024 title. The 23-year-old Sinner dropped just one set in Melbourne and largely dominated his opponents, including during a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 final against Alexander Zverev on Sunday. Sinner is the youngest man to win back-to-back at the Australian Open since Jim Courier did so in 1992 and 1993 and the first Italian to claim three Slam titles in history.

In 2024, three women — Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova — and two men — Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz — captured Slam titles. Will any of them join Sinner and be able to repeat the feat in the new year? Or will someone, like Keys, fly under the radar and make a splash on one of the sport’s biggest stages?

With just under four months until the start of the main draw at the French Open, and a lot of tennis left to play on both hard court and clay in the meantime, it’s of course nearly impossible to make predictions about the rest of the season’s majors — but that won’t stop us from trying. Here’s who should be the top contenders at each of the remaining Slams of 2025.

French Open

When: May 25 – June 8

Where: Paris

2024 champions: Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz

Top women’s contenders in 2025: Swiatek, Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Mirra Andreeva, Sabalenka

No one since Rafael Nadal has been more dominant at Roland Garros than Swiatek. She’s won four of the past five titles in Paris and is essentially the “Queen of Clay.” And she hasn’t just won at the tournament, she’s been virtually untouchable. In 2024, she dropped one set (in an instant classic against Naomi Osaka in the second round) but otherwise lost a combined 20 games during her run. In the final, she resoundingly defeated Paolini 6-2, 6-1. She remains very much the favorite for the year’s next major.

But while it’s rare, she can be beaten at Roland Garros. Zheng pulled off one of the biggest upsets of 2024 when she defeated Swiatek in the semifinals at the Olympics, held at the storied venue. Zheng went on to win the gold medal and will now arrive to the French Open brimming with confidence and in search of her first major title.

Gauff, currently ranked No. 3 in the world, has had success on the red clay throughout her young career. She reached the final in 2022, as well as the semifinals last season, and won the 2024 doubles title with Katerina Siniakova, as well as the junior title in 2018. She has what it takes to win on the surface. Paolini was a surprise finalist in 2024 after a remarkable run, which saw her defeat two major champions along the way. She will be looking to prove last season was no fluke.

Andreeva, 17, reached the first major semifinal of her promising career at the event last season and only continues to improve. And then there’s Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and 2023 semifinalist. She has twice won the 1000-level Madrid title on clay and will certainly be in the mix in Paris this spring — and maybe playing with a chip on her shoulder after her loss in the Australian Open final.

Top men’s contenders in 2025: Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Zverev, Casper Ruud

Entering last year’s tournament having battled an arm injury in the lead-in events, Alcaraz was pushed to five sets against both Sinner in the semifinals and Zverev in the final. And yet he found a way to win, securing his first French Open title. Some six weeks later, he earned the silver medal during the Olympics at the venue, cementing his status as one of the best in the world on the surface and at Roland Garros.

Alcaraz’s bid to achieve the elusive career slam was stopped — for now, anyway — by Djokovic in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open last week but that defeat will likely make him only hungrier the rest of the season.

Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion, defeated Alcaraz in the Olympic gold-medal match in dramatic fashion and proved he’s still capable of winning the big titles. Djokovic, who will turn 38 just before the start of the tournament, had to retire from his semifinal match against Zverev in Melbourne with a hamstring injury. He also underwent an unrelated knee surgery after having to withdraw from Roland Garros last year ahead of the quarters. But he remains focused on winning his record-breaking 25th major title, and he certainly knows what it takes to win in Paris.

Zverev cited last year’s defeat in the final as a turning point in his career, and he’s since committed himself to improving his conditioning and stamina. Having clearly already achieved some results, who’s to say he can’t win at the French Open? After now losing in three major finals, Zverev will have no shortage of motivation.

And while Ruud has had his struggles as of late — he lost in the second round at the Australian Open — he reached the final in Paris in 2022 and 2023 (and the semis last season) and is always a threat on clay.

Wimbledon

When: June 30 – July 13

Where: London

2024 champions: Barbora Krejcikova and Carlos Alcaraz

Top women’s contenders in 2025: Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Krejcikova, Paolini, Ons Jabeur

There is perhaps no title more up for grabs on the women’s side than Wimbledon. With grass such a short segment of the annual calendar, few have seemingly mastered the surface and it could result in someone unexpected making a deep run.

But Sabalenka is a two-time semifinalist at the All England Club and reached the round in her past two appearances in 2021 and 2023. While she was unable to play last year due to injury, and has never won a title on grass, assuming she’s healthy at that point in the year, she might just be the favorite.

Rybakina’s season so far has been defined by her controversial coaching changes, and she faced many questions about them during her fourth-round run in Melbourne. But if she is able to focus on tennis, the 2022 Wimbledon champion remains a serious contender at the tournament and is one of the best in the world on the surface. Her 2024 campaign was derailed by Krejcikova in the semifinals.

Krejcikova, a two-time major champion, was the unlikely victor last season thanks to multiple comeback victories and unwavering self-belief. She missed the Australian Open due to a lingering back injury but will undoubtedly want to show her title victory was no accident.

Paolini, the other 2024 finalist, and Jabeur, the 2022 and 2023 runner-up, have also proved to be formidable foes on the surface. Jabeur, whose 2024 season was plagued by a shoulder injury, has spoken many times about how much a Wimbledon title would mean to her.

Top men’s contenders in 2025: Alcaraz, Djokovic, Sinner, Taylor Fritz

Despite being 21 and still having played just over a handful of grass tournaments in his career, Alcaraz is the two-time defending Wimbledon champion. While some players struggle in adapting to grass and adjusting their movements, Alcaraz has had no such issues. Ahead of the 2024 final meeting, Djokovic called Alcaraz “probably the best” in the world on the surface right now and it’s hard to argue. Having defeated Djokovic — a seven-time champion at the event — in straight sets in the final, Alcaraz is the favorite at this point to win yet again.

However, if healthy, Djokovic will be a man on a mission at SW19. He has consistently waxed poetic about the special place the tournament holds in his heart, and he would like nothing more than to win another title at the All England Club. As he made the 2024 final just weeks after knee surgery, he remains a dominant force at Wimbledon and an opponent no one would want to see in their section of the draw.

Sinner, a 2023 semifinalist, won his first grass title last season at Halle and will only continue to get better on the surface. He lost to Daniil Medvedev in five sets during the quarters last season but has become more confident in his game and has an increasingly untouchable aura. Barring a ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (a hearing is scheduled for April), could this be the year he wins a non-hard-court major and continues to build his legacy?

And don’t count out Fritz, a two-time quarterfinalist at the All England Club. The 27-year-old American had a career breakthrough by reaching the US Open final in September and is capable of big results and upsets.

US Open

When: Aug. 25 – Sept. 7

Where: New York

2024 champions: Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner

Top women’s contenders in 2025: Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek, Keys, Jessica Pegula, Osaka

By the end of the major season, anything can happen. Over the years, the US Open has had some surprise champions — think Emma Raducanu in 2021 — but there has been more consistency in the recent past with Sabalenka, Gauff and Swiatek claiming the past three titles in New York.

And, with seven months to go before the start of the US Open, that trio — currently the top-three-ranked players in the world — are the favorites to win again in the Big Apple.

The reigning champion in Cincinnati and having opened the season with the title in Brisbane, Sabalenka has proved how good she is on the hard court. Add redemption to the mix after her devastating loss in Melbourne on Saturday and, well, let’s just say that’s a dangerous combination.

Gauff, the 2023 champion who fell in the fourth round in her attempt to repeat in 2024, has elevated her game since her disappointment in New York in September. Since that loss, she’s made tactical and personnel changes with her team and finished the 2024 season by winning the WTA Finals. She opened 2025 by leading the United States squad to a United Cup title and reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. The 20-year-old will have the crowd on her side in New York and could certainly be in position to win her second title at the event.

Swiatek was nearly flawless throughout much of her run in Melbourne. Before being stopped in the semifinals, she hadn’t dropped a set and had conceded just 14 total games. Against Raducanu in the third round, she lost just one game. At her best, she’s tough to beat and another trophy in New York seems plausible.

But let’s not forget Keys. She reached the final in 2017 and now knows what it takes to win a Slam — and will have a lot of support from the home crowd as a reigning major champion. Of course, there’s also Pegula, who had her breakthrough in 2024 by reaching the US Open final, and Osaka, the two-time champion who looked resurgent in Melbourne before retiring from her third-round match with an abdominal injury. It’s hard to think she won’t be a factor by the end of the season if she is healthy.

Top men’s contenders in 2025: Sinner, Alcaraz, Fritz, Tiafoe, Shelton, Djokovic

After watching what Sinner did in Melbourne — and just how easy he made it look — he is resoundingly the man to beat in the year’s other hard-court Slam at this point in the year. He was equally dominant in New York last year, dropping just two sets throughout, and routed Fritz in the final 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. His unflappable demeanor is a perfect antidote for the rowdy crowds on Arthur Ashe Stadium and another repeat title seems possible.

But Alcaraz might have other plans. The 2022 champion embraces the crowds and the spotlight like few others and has won three Masters 1000-level titles on the hard court. After his back-to-back wins at the French Open and Wimbledon and silver-medal Olympic run last summer, he was fatigued by the time he arrived in New York and was stunned in the second round. But he should be more rested — and even more motivated — this season.

Not to mention, there’s a group of Americans who would do anything to win in front of the home crowd and snap the Slam-less drought among countrymen. Assuming it’s not broken at the French Open or at Wimbledon, it will have been 22 years since Andy Roddick claimed the title at the US Open in 2003 and it’s understandably a talking point every year. Fritz came oh-so-close last year by reaching the final and that blend of disappointment and confidence could help him get it done in 2025.

Tiafoe, as beloved a player as anyone in New York, has reached the semifinals two of the past three years and can beat anyone with the crowd behind him. Just ask Rafael Nadal. If Tiafoe finds his rhythm, a title is certainly possible. Same goes for Shelton. Just 22, the former NCAA champion reached the US Open semifinals in 2023 and is coming off a semifinal appearance in Melbourne. He has long been touted as the country’s best hope to end the streak, so why not this year at home?

Finally, there’s always Djokovic, the four-time champion. Like Alcaraz, he was unable to produce his best results last season in New York following a long summer, which saw him win Olympic gold, but if he’s in the draw, he has to be in the conversation.