Wimbledon 2025: How to watch the opening rounds of London's prestigious major
Tennis' oldest tournament gets a couple of significant updates this year. The 2025 Wimbledon Championships begin Monday and run through the middle of July. Proceedings will be judged by an automated electronic system, rather than historically dapper humans, and the traditional 2 p.m. start time for the men's and women's singles finals will be pushed back two hours to maximize viewership.
The field itself remains constant. Italy's Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz are still at the top of the ATP table. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the women's top-ranked player, is trailed by Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula of the U.S. Here's all you need to know for the early action.
Main coverage on ESPN. Secondary courts via ESPN+ and Disney+.
Sinner and Alcaraz produced an all-timer at the last major. The French Open singles final on June 8 was one of the sport's wildest comebacks ever. The five-hour and 29-minute epic clocked in as the second-longest major final, with defending champion Alcaraz down two sets to love. He rallied all the way back, while saving three championship points in the process. What could possibly be on tap for the follow up?
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Alcaraz is the reigning champ at Wimbledon, too. He knocked off decorated Novak Djokovic in the 2024 final, destroying his opponent in the first two sets and showing a steely resolve in the third-set tiebreak, after he had been broken when serving to win the title.
Predictably, the world's top duo are favored to reach the July 13 men's final, followed by Djokovic and then British breakout Jack Draper. Playing in his home country at the age of 23, Draper was expected to advance far into this tourney. He won it all at Indian Wells in March, and his No. 4 Wimbledon seeding allows him to avoid Sinner and Alcaraz until at least the semis, but the draw has handed him a tough path.
The women's game is headlined by Sabalenka and Gauff, who are coming off their duel in the French Open final. It marked the first No. 1 versus No. 2 women's title match at Roland Garros in 12 years, and Gauff's triumph made her the first American champion since Serena Williams in 2015. Sabalenka withdrew from last year's Wimbledon due to a unfortunate shoulder injury. Gauff bowed out in the fourth round.
Barbora Krejčíková of Czechia is the incumbent Wimbledon champ, notching her second Grand Slam title as a stunning 31st seed last year. She defeated seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini in three sets. Krejčíková, who is dealing with a thigh injury, is now No. 17 in the WTA rankings; Paolini is up to fourth.
Singles play begins Monday, while the doubles bracket gets going on Wednesday and Thursday.
Charlie Eccleshare on British tennis psychodrama and the rise of Jack Draper
On Andy Murray's forthcoming statue
On line judges' being replaced
Matthew Futterman on the importance of the slice shot at Wimbledon
James Hansen, live at Queen's Club
Tim Spiers, from central London to Windsor and Maidenhead
Streaming and betting links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo by Bob Martin / USA TODAY)
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