Wimbledon 2025 | Top five contenders for the women's title

With the tournament set to begin from June 30, we take a look at the top five contenders for the women's singles title.

With the Wimbledon Championships set to begin, the fight for the women's singles title is poised to be a dramatic affair, featuring a field of champions each carrying their own unique pressures and ambitions.

Here are five contenders who could define the coming fortnight.

Aryna Sabalenka

Credit: Reuters Photo

World ranking: 1

Despite a dominant 2024 that saw her capture two Grand Slam titles, the Wimbledon crown remains the one prize that continues to elude Aryna Sabalenka. The 27-year-old's quest last year was cut short by a last-minute injury, and the three-time major champion is still chasing her first trophy on grass. Her power game seems perfectly suited to the surface, yet two semi-final runs are the closest she has come. Arriving after final-round heartbreaks at both the Australian and French Opens, and with only a semi-final run in Berlin as a tune-up, she is on a mission to finally conquer the lawns.

Coco Gauff

Credit: Reuters Photo

World ranking: 2

Coco Gauff proved she was no one-hit wonder by outlasting Sabalenka to capture the French Open, her second Grand Slam title. However, the grass remains a puzzle for the 2023 US Open champion. It was at Wimbledon in 2019 where her prodigious career exploded onto the world stage, yet she is yet to advance beyond that initial fourth-round showing. The 21-year-old American was given a stark reminder of the surface's challenges with a first-match exit in Berlin. But adversity often extracts the best from Gauff, who shrugged off final defeats in Madrid and Rome to triumph at Roland Garros, giving her the momentum needed for a big Wimbledon statement.

Iga Swiatek

Credit: Reuters Photo

World ranking: 8

Dubbed the 'Queen of Clay,' Iga Swiatek is no stranger to struggles on grass. For all her dominance elsewhere, the 24-year-old has never contested a WTA final on the surface, with a 2023 quarter-final being her best result at the All England Club—jarring notes on an otherwise glittering resume. Having slipped in the rankings after a five-title season in 2024, the former world number one has had to manage the distraction of a doping case for which she served a short ban last year. Now, motivated by a semi-final loss in Paris, she aims to defy expectations, win a sixth Grand Slam, and firmly establish herself as an all-court ace.

Elena Rybakina

Credit: Reuters Photo

World ranking: 11

Elena Rybakina knows what it takes to win at the Wimbledon, having lifted the trophy in 2022 without a prior grass-court title to her name. While the 26-year-old is yet to reach another final on the surface since, she consistently elevates her game at Wimbledon, reaching the quarter-finals in 2023 and falling in a narrow semi-final loss last year. The Russian-born Kazakh may not enjoy the spotlight, but her powerful hitting ensures she is firmly in it at this major. Having fallen out of the top 10, she will feel less pressure and can look to go about her business quietly in a bid to replicate her breakthrough 2022 run.

Barbora Krejcikova

Credit: Reuters Photo

World ranking: 17

No woman has defended this title since 2016, and Barbora Krejcikova will sense the unique opportunity that chaotic history presents. The odds may seem stacked against the 29-year-old as she seeks momentum after a spell of injuries, but she has a history of defying expectations, having won this title as the 31st seed. With much of the attention on her compatriot, 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova, the two-time major winner will be content to fly under the radar. Motivation will not be in short supply, as Wimbledon carries the special significance of being the site of her late mentor Jana Novotna's own triumph in 1998.

(With Reuters inputs)