The 2025 Wimbledon Championships get underway with main draw action on June 30, with Emma Raducanu and Madison Keys being among the big names in action. Both women face tough opening-round matches at the grasscourt Slam.
They, however, are not alone as plenty of dangerous floaters look to make their presence felt on the big stage. Here, we take a look at the five biggest upset alerts that could materialise into reality on Day 1 of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
#1 Madison Keys
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The American takes on the big-hitting Romanian, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who, despite never having made it past the first round at the All England Club, has shown immense promise on grass.
To be fair to Ruse, she has had bad luck with the draw at Wimbledon. In the four years that she has made it to the main draw, she has faced Agnieszka Radwanska, Julia Georges, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina. On two of those occasions, against Radwanska and Gauff, she pushed her much more fancied opponents to the brink.
With a win-loss of 23-10, the Romanian has put together a solid season. And she might be peaking just in time after having made a first Tour-level grass final at 's-Hertogenbosch after coming through the qualifiers no less. Keys is in the middle of a career-best season herself, but will need to be wary of an in-form player who can hit the ball big off both wings.
#2 Paula Badosa
Playing against a local player is never easy, especially at Grand Slams, where the support can get boisterous for the home hope. Paula Badosa will know that heading into her opening match against Katie Boulter.
The Briton has flown the British flag as the No. 1 ranked player from her country for a better part of the last 12 months. And while she may have slipped into the No. 2 spot behind Emma Raducanu, there will be plenty of support for her when she steps out on Centre Court.
In Badosa, she faces a player not much different from herself. Both women have power-packed games built around a big serve. They enjoy playing on grass, and fans can expect a flurry of aces and winners from both ends.
The one area of concern for Badosa has been chronic back issues that have forced her out of several matches in recent years. She was forced to retire from her Berlin quarterfinal against Wang Xinyu as well and will come into Wimbledon with a question mark over her fitness. She will have to be at her best to avoid falling prey to an early upset at the hands of Boulter.
#3 Emma Raducanu
There’s a lot of British interest in the opening day’s Centre Court schedule. Besides Katie Boulter, home fans will get to pick a favorite to cheer for against the all-British encounter between Emma Raducanu and Mingge Xu.
The former US Open champ, who had her big breakthrough at these very lawns back in 2021, has already spoken about facing the “very dangerous” 17-year-old making her Wimbledon debut in pre-tournament press.
And there is merit in her wariness. When you are making your big stage debut as a teenager, in front of your home, there is a certain fearlessness in your game. And with grass wins over the likes of Alycia Parks and Ana Kojuh to show for already this season, Xu will be brimming with confidence.
The youngster is still the underdog by every means. Therefore, the pressure to win will be on Raducanu’s shoulders. Whether she can handle the occasion and a sprightly opponent remains to be seen.
#4 Holger Rune
Holger Rune’s Wimbledon graph has held steady in the last couple of years, but against a player who has been averaging 10 aces a match this season, in-form Nicolas Jarry, he will have his work cut out in the opening round.
The Chilean, unlike most players from South America, has always enjoyed playing on grass. His 6’7” frame and the accompanying big serve can be a real weapon on the surface, and Rune will need to be ready to adjust his return position.
Jarry’s Wimbledon record has not been great, but he did reach the third round in 2023 and pushed eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to four sets. He has the game needed to do well in the quick conditions, and can trouble Rune if he manages to get hold of his nerves on the big stage.
#5 McCartney Kessler
Of all the seeded players in the draw, McCartney Kessler perhaps finds herself in peril the most. Not only is she taking on a former champion, but someone who recently won a big title on grass: Marketa Vondrousova.
The 2023 Wimbledon champ, who had been struggling with injuries and a loss of form in recent times, reminded everyone of her grass prowess by lifting the title in Berlin. She beat the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, and Madison Keys, showing tennis reminiscent of her title-winning run here.
Kessler, though, will also take plenty of heart from her run to a maiden grass title in Nottingham last week. She also took out big names like Beatriz Haddad Maia and Katie Boulter en route to the title.
One could, however, argue that Vondrousova is the better all-court player, with a potent dropshot and slice that can be very effective on grass. In a clash of two grasscourt title winners from this year, though, there can only be one winner. And given how things unfolded in Berlin, there’s little to argue against Vondrousova.
