This year's women to watch at Wimbledon
Keep an eye on these potential winners, says Annabel Croft
- Caroline Frost
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After 148 years, Wimbledon can easily lay claim to being the oldest tennis tournament in the world. Equally impressive, says former UK number one Annabel Croft, is the exacting standard set by the event organisers: “There’s never a blade of grass out of place.”
Annabel Croft.
For British players, it has the advantage of being on home turf. “When you’re travelling for 30 weeks of the year, it’s great to sleep in your own bed,” says four-time semi-finalist Tim Henman, who highlights the men to keep an eye on this year. For competitors from further afield, the idea of adding their names to those who have come before remains irresistible. But Croft, who gives RT her pick of the women, says, “Grass doesn’t suit everyone, which only adds to the prestige of winning here.”
Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka. Getty
Country: Belarus
Age: 27
Ranking: 1
A three-time Grand Slam winner, she’s had a consistently successful year, but she’s lost both Australian Open and French Open finals, so I wonder if she’s suffering from a bit of stage-fright. If she can overcome that, with her hugely powerful game, she has her heart set on Wimbledon, and she’ll be the one to beat.
Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff.
Country: USA
Age: 21
Ranking: 2
We first saw her at Wimbledon aged 15 beating Venus Williams. She’s had some ups and downs, but she’s a hard-worker, intent on overcoming any weak spots in her game. And
she’s fresh from her second Grand Slam title in Paris so that will have given her extra confidence.
Mirra Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva. Getty
Country: Russia
Age: 18
Ranking: 7
She’s only 18 but has been doing extremely well. She won at Indian Wells, beating Sabalenka on the way to the title. Mirra is a complete, natural player who plays with a lot of power but can also mix it up.
Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine Paolini. Getty
Country: Italy
Age: 29
Ranking: 5
She was a finalist at Wimbledon and the French Open last year. She has a wonderfully exciting game, and everyone loves her because she’s a pocket rocket who smiles all the time and can always get the crowd on her side.
Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu. Getty
Country: GB
Age: 22
Ranking: 36
We’ll all be looking out for her. A former US Open champion, she’s another player who has suffered uneven form over the past couple of years. But 2025 has seen her reignite her tennis: she’s had loads of wins and she has a great game for grass. She volleys as well as anybody and her sliced backhand is her biggest weapon.
Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek. Getty
Country: Poland
Age: 24
Ranking: 8
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She’s a former world number one with more Grand Slam titles (five) than anyone else playing, but she doesn’t like grass. With that record of wins, however, you can’t count her out.
Authors
Caroline Frost
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