Wimbledon begins Monday, with two-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz a heavy favorite on the men’s side, alongside title contenders Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
The women’s side feels much more wide open. Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek could each win their first Wimbledon title — as could many others.
Who will win? We polled our experts for their picks and best betting tips.
Who do you think will win the women’s singles title, and why?
Pam Shriver: On the women’s side in recent years, Wimbledon has come up with many surprising champions, and I think that trend will continue in 2025. Compared to the men, it’s much harder to feel confident with picking who will hold the Venus Rosewater Dish on July 12. When it’s this unpredictable, it’s best to go with a favorite like Sabalenka.
It’s unsettling that Sabalenka has missed two of the past three Wimbledons, last year to a shoulder injury and in 2022 because of the ban Wimbledon placed on players from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. It’ll also be interesting to see if Sabalenka is suffering from any hangover after her loss to Gauff in the final at Roland Garros. But I don’t feel confident picking anyone else.
D’Arcy Maine: This is tough, and there is no obvious favorite entering the tournament. Gauff and Sabalenka have been consistently playing great tennis all season long and both could certainly win their first Wimbledon title this fortnight. However, despite a tough draw and a relatively weak (by her standards) résumé at the tournament, I’m going to go with Swiatek. I know, it sounds kind of ridiculous. But Swiatek, the No. 8 seed, enters this major more under-the-radar than she has been in years, and without the same pressure she feels almost everywhere else. She is also playing perhaps the best tennis of her career on the surface.
Last week at Bad Homburg, in her lone grass-court event ahead of Wimbledon, she reached her first final on the surface … and made her first tour final in over a year. Throughout the week, she clinically held off top-20 players like Jasmine Paolini and Ekaterina Alexandrova, and she didn’t drop a set until facing Jessica Pegula (another player who I really considered picking here) in the final.
Swiatek has never advanced past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before and would potentially have to get past former champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth round, then Gauff likely in the quarters. But this feels like a perfect opportunity for Swiatek to get her season and status among the game’s best players back on track.
Connelly: I like the Swiatek pick, and I agree that she has looked as good this week on grass as she has in quite a while (ever?). But when in doubt, go with No. 1. Sabalenka has lost four of her past six finals, and she definitely has to survive a rough draw to even get there, but she’s just so reliable at this point. She has made seven finals just this year. And while a Wimbledon title has evaded her so far, she has been to the semifinals in each of her past two trips. She’s obviously capable of a win.
Simon Cambers: This is wide open. Sabalenka deserves to be the favorite, but she has a tough early draw, and it seems she’ll need a few matches to hit top form. That’s possible, of course, but she still has not won here, and so there is a chance that someone else comes through, perhaps to win their first Wimbledon, or maybe even their first slam title.
Rybakina, one of the few former champions in the draw, will be dangerous if she gets past Swiatek, and Gauff also deserves inclusion, but I predict Madison Keys will have another big run. Her Australian Open triumph lifted a weight off her shoulders, and she has a great game for grass, with a big serve and powerful groundstrokes. She’s in the same quarter as Sabalenka, but I can see her going all the way again.
Who do you think will win the men’s singles title, and why?
Shriver: On the men’s side, Alcaraz is the favorite to achieve the Wimbledon hat trick. His athleticism — especially his extraordinary movement on a grass court — power, deft touch, plus a more potent serve have made him a great young grass-court player at just 22. I wonder how many times the charismatic Spaniard will hit an impossible winner on the dead run, then put his hand to his ear to encourage an even louder roar. If Alcaraz serves as he did when he won Queen’s Club, he will win his third Wimbledon in a row.
Maine: I would like to say Djokovic, and I have been sitting here typing up — and deleting — my various explanations of how and why he could do it. History! He loves the tournament! He’s great on grass! He has so much motivation and all the reasons in the world to want to win!
But alas, even I still haven’t fully convinced myself he can beat Alcaraz if they were to meet again in the final. At this point, having seen what Alcaraz has been able to do over the past two years at the All England Club, in addition to the epic final against Sinner at the French Open and his latest title at Queen’s Club, I simply can’t pick against Alcaraz. Ultimately, I believe the 22-year-old Spaniard will win his sixth major trophy and third straight Wimbledon at the end of the fortnight and further cement his status as the greatest player right now.
Connelly: Sinner really is closing the gap on Alcaraz quickly on natural surfaces, and while grass is his worst surface, he did still reach the semis here in 2023 — and before his big 2024 breakthrough, no less. But I can’t get past how much better Alcaraz’s draw is here. Sinner will likely have a couple of matches to get into form, but facing former semifinalist Denis Shapovalov in the third round, then maybe either Grigor Dimitrov or Tommy Paul in the fourth and either Lorenzo Musetti or Ben Shelton in the quarters offers up decent potential for an upset, and that’s before he maybe gets to Djokovic in the semis.
If we get to another Sinner-Alcaraz final, I’ll be super tempted to pick Sinner. But Alcaraz is more likely to get there.
Cambers: I can’t pick anyone other than Alcaraz. He has won the title in each of the past two years, and if he were to make it three, he’d do something John McEnroe and Boris Becker never managed, which would be quite something. His form is there, he got the matches on grass at Queen’s that he needed — and won the title — and he should be fresh enough to give it a real go again. Sinner has to overcome the mental scarring of Paris, Djokovic has to beat too many top players to win it, and while Jack Draper has the game to win Wimbledon, perhaps this year is too soon.
Betting tips
Odds at time of publication. For the latest women’s tournament
Who is your women’s pick to win?
Pamela Maldonado: Sabalenka +240. For a favorite, this isn’t a cruise-control draw. However, if Sabalenka serves well and keeps her composure, she has the firepower to bulldoze through this section. The key is surviving that Round 3 trap. If she gets past Marketa Vondrousova, her confidence could snowball all the way to the final.
Andre Snellings: Any American (+275). Gauff (+750) has the fourth-best odds to win Wimbledon, and she is fresh off winning her second career Grand Slam singles title at this year’s French Open. Keys (+1200) has the fifth-best odds, is 11-1 in majors this season including her win at the Australian Open and has the best record among active players on grass (50-18). Pegula (+2000) made the finals in last year’s US Open, is a good grass-court player (12-6 record, 66.7 win percentage since 2023) and just defeated Swiatek in the final to win the grass-court Bad Homburg Open. And four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka is always a wild card and fits the mold of some of the come-from-nowhere Wimbledon champions of recent years.
Who is your men’s pick to win?
Maldonado: Alcaraz +120. Alcaraz has a cupcake draw to the final. No opponent has the foot speed, mental durability or grass versatility to seriously bother Alcaraz over five sets. Worst case? A dropped set from mis-hits or a loose tiebreak. The test will be in the final, likely against Sinner or Djokovic. Alcaraz to reach the final is a bet I’d hammer if books post that market.
Snellings: Alcaraz (+120). Alcaraz has been nigh unbeatable on grass the three seasons, going 25-1 with four titles, including each of the last two Wimbledon championships. Alcaraz won on grass again earlier this month, taking the ATP 500 level Queen’s Club Championships for the second time. And Alcaraz has the edge over the players with the second- and third-best odds. Sinner is the top seed, but Alcaraz has had his number of late, winning all five of their head-to-head matches since 2023 and eight of their 12 matchups overall. Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in each of the last two Wimbledon finals.
What is your favorite bet for the women’s side?
Maldonado: Both Emma Raducanu and Sabalenka to win in straight sets in Round 1 (-105). Raducanu doesn’t need to blow out Mingge Xu to win in straights. Xu can compete, but Raducanu’s return game and baseline consistency should break her down over time. Sabalenka’s first-round opponent, Carson Branstine, lacks the pace to trouble her rhythm. It’s hard to see more than a handful of games on the board.
Snellings: Iga Swiatek to win (+650). While names like Rybakina (+550 to win), Andreeva (+1600) and Jasmine Paolini (+2800) are also on my radar, for some reason Swiatek is catching my attention. After spending much of the previous few years as the top player in tennis, Swiatek has been flying under the radar this season. Though she hasn’t won tournaments at the rate she has previously, Swiatek has been playing very good tennis this season. She made the semifinals at both Grand Slams and reached the final of last week’s Bad Homburg Open.
What is your favorite bet for the men’s side?
Maldonado: Roberto Bautista Agut (-120) over Cameron Norrie in the first round. This is about trust in discipline and grass-court experience. RBA’s flat groundstrokes stay low and suit the surface, while Norrie’s loopy forehand and passive rally tolerance haven’t looked sharp in 2025. With RBA showing flashes of vintage form this grass swing, he’s the more reliable baseline grinder in a matchup that favors precision over spin.
Snellings: Djokovic to win (+600). Djokovic has given hints that this may be his last season on tour, which would make this his last Wimbledon. Outside of the Australian Open, where Djokovic won 10 of his record 24 Grand Slam titles, the grass at Wimbledon has been his best surface. Djokovic has won seven Wimbledon crowns, including four of the last six. His only two losses at the All England Club since 2018 have been in the last two finals against Alcaraz. With this draw, Djokovic wouldn’t see Alcaraz until the final, and he wouldn’t face Sinner until the semis. It is a tall task to ask anyone to get through both Sinner and Alcaraz in a major, but if anyone could, it would be Djokovic.
What is your favorite long shot bet to win the women’s title?
Maldonado: Jessica Pegula +2000. She’s undervalued with a clean early draw and no top-10 opponent until the quarters. Her consistency and court smarts match up well against Mirra Andreeva and Gauff, both of whom can implode under pressure. If Pegula makes the final, she has already beaten the odds and has the tools to frustrate a big hitter like Sabalenka.
Snellings: Vondrousova +2000. Vondrousova is the most dangerous unseeded player in the tournament. She won Wimbledon in 2023 after missing major time due to injuries and dropping completely out of the rankings and looks to do the same this season. Vondrousova has missed most of the last year due to a hand and shoulder injuries, but she returned for the French Open and earlier this month won her first tournament since 2023 at the Berlin Open. That tournament is also played on grass, and Vondrousova defeated each of 2024 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur and Sabalenka, the current world No. 1 and top seed at Wimbledon.
What is your favorite long shot bet to win the men’s title?
Maldonado: Djokovic +600. Djoker is the most dangerous kind of long shot: the kind with seven Wimbledon titles and a chip on his shoulder. Sinner may be the top seed, but he’s no lock to make the final after a heartbreaking loss to Alcaraz at Roland Garros, a recent coaching shakeup and a Halle Open exit to Alexander Bublik. If Djokovic gets past Sinner, or if Sinner falls earlier, Djokovic likely faces Alcaraz in the final. And after a five-set clash in 2023 and a post-surgery loss in 2024 to Alcaraz at Wimbledon, this seems like Novak’s revenge tour on the surface he still owns.
Snellings: Any American (+1800). Taylor Fritz is the highest-seeded American at No. 5, and the top seed in his semifinal bracket is No.3 Alexander Zverev, whom Fritz defeated last year at Wimbledon and the US Open. Fritz reached the final of last season’s US Open and already has a title on grass this season, winning the Stuttgart Open last week by defeating, you guessed it, Zverev in the finals. His big serve and surprising mobility given his size will serve Fritz well on grass.
Also keep an eye on 10th-seeded Ben Shelton. He has a massive serve that has helped him make the semifinals of both hard-court majors (2023 US Open, 2025 Australian Open). He made the fourth round of last year’s Wimbledon in just his second time playing the event. Tommy Paul, the 13th seed, has made the quarterfinals in three of the last four majors, including last year’s Wimbledon. Frances Tiafoe (12th seed), Brandon Nakashima (29th) and Alex Michelsen (30th) are the other seeded American men. Tiafoe and Nakashima have both made the fourth round at Wimbledon. Michelsen is only 20 years old and has only played in one Wimbledon, losing in the first round, but he has already made the finals in two grass-court tournaments in his young career.
Any of the above would be long shots to win, but with this bet you get to take a flyer on all of them. I also like the other special, Any American man to make the final (+700).
Source: espn.com