A Look Back at Wimbledon 2025

Wimbledon 2025: A Banner Championship for British Tennis

As the 138th edition of Wimbledon concluded on 13 July 2025, British tennis fans were treated to a tournament filled with grittiness, breakthrough performances, and historic moments across men's and women’s singles, doubles, juniors, and wheelchair events

Cam Norrie: Battling for Glory

Cam Norrie once again carried the British singles hopes on his shoulders, delivering a powerful run to the quarter-finals. His journey included a stunning five-set comeback over Frances Tiafoe and a straight-sets win over Mattia Bellucci. His campaign ended at the hands of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, but Norrie walked away with renewed confidence and a climb back towards the top of the rankings

Sonay Kartal: A Breakthrough Performance

Brighton-born Sonay Kartal delivered one of the most inspiring stories of the tournament. The wildcard-powered British No. 3 reached the fourth round, notching victories over Jelena Ostapenko, Viktoriya Tomova, and Diane Parry—his run ended in a hard-fought loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, marred by a controversial AI line-calling glitch . Nevertheless, Kartal’s daring week earned her a career-high ranking of world No. 44 

Emma Raducanu: Grace Under Pressure

Emma Raducanu provided one of the evening’s most electric matches, pushing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to the brink in a fiercely contested third-round match—eventually falling in straight sets after had opportunities slipped away . Earlier, she opened her campaign with a confident win over former champion Markéta Vondroušová

Doubles Delight: Cash & Glasspool Make History

In a day that will forever be etched in British tennis history, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool became the first all-British pairing to win the Men’s Doubles title at Wimbledon in the Open Era (and the first since 1936) with a dramatic final win over Rinky Hijikata and David Pel The duo’s sensational run included matching efforts to defend, save match points, and bulldoze their way to a Grand Slam triumph.

Meanwhile, Joe Salisbury (in both men’s doubles with Neal Skupski and mixed doubles with Luisa Stefani) sailed deep into the draw, reaching the mixed doubles final

Other Noteworthy British Stories

• Dan Evans showed flashes of old brilliance, though he bowed out in the early rounds

• Emerging college stars like Jack Pinnington Jones and Arthur Fery earned their first Grand Slam match wins, lighting the path for British tennis’ future

Juniors & Wheelchair Highlights

• Junior Singles Finals:

  • Girls' Singles saw Slovakia’s Mia Pohánková capture the title, defeating Julieta Pareja of the U.S. 6–3, 6–1. A British finalist didn’t emerge in that draw.

  • Boys' Singles was clinched by Bulgaria’s Ivan Ivanov, who beat Ronit Karki. However, a touching subplot emerged: Mayr-Brown Devall, representing England, triumphed in the boys’ final against Ukrainian war refugee Illia Snaksarov, winning 6–3, 6–2. Snaksarov's journey from fleeing conflict to reaching a Wimbledon junior final became an inspiring headline.

• Wheelchair Events:

  • In the men’s wheelchair singles, British legend Alfie Hewett reached the final but fell to Japan’s Tokito Oda, 3–6, 7–5, 6–2.

  • In men’s wheelchair doubles, Hewett, alongside Gordon Reid, narrowly missed a Wimbledon title, falling to Martín de la Puente & Ruben Spaargaren in straight sets.

  • In the quad doubles, British Greg Slade, partnered with Donald Ramphadi, reached the final but lost 6–0, 6–2.

    
    

Singles Semi-Finals & Finals: The Thrill of Near-Misses and Breakthroughs

The Ladies’ Semifinals

Iga Świątek d. Belinda Bencic — 6–2, 6–0.Świątek arrived at Centre Court with grass finally starting to suit her aggressive, heavy-spin game; she simply overwhelmed Bencic with depth, angles and relentless pressure, turning a competitive first set into a one-way street by set two. It was a statement semi — the kind of clinical performance that wipes away “can she do it on grass?” questions.

Amanda Anisimova d. Aryna Sabalenka — 6–4, 4–6, 6–4.If Świątek’s match was clinical, this one was a thriller. Anisimova produced a career-defining upset of world No. 1 Sabalenka in a three-set battle that swung like a pendulum: power exchanges, a set apiece, and a deciding set where Anisimova’s variety and court craft (plus some nervy moments from Sabalenka) handed the American her first Grand Slam final. It was the kind of match that left the crowd breathless and the script flipped.

The Ladies’ Final — the shock and the reality check

Iga Świątek d. Amanda Anisimova — 6–0, 6–0 (57 minutes).What followed on Centre Court was almost surreal. After Anisimova’s epic semi, the final turned into one of the most lopsided Grand Slam finals in memory: Świątek was utterly dominant — fast to the ball, unrelenting from the baseline and impossibly accurate — and Anisimova, visibly drained and tight, could not find a foothold. The 6–0, 6–0 scoreline (57 minutes) shocked everyone precisely because of the semifinal heroics we’d seen 48 hours earlier. It’s a reminder of how quickly momentum, fatigue and match-ups can swing in slams.

The Men’s Semifinals — power, precision and momentum

Jannik Sinner d. Novak Djokovic — 6–3, 6–3, 6–4.Sinner produced one of the most ruthless Centre-Court displays of the fortnight. His ball-striking and serve returned to peak levels; Djokovic, 38, simply couldn’t match the Italian’s pace and punch over three sets. The match felt like a changing-of-guard moment — Sinner ruthless, Djokovic resilient but plainly not at his physical peak.

Carlos Alcaraz d. Taylor Fritz — 6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 7–6(6).A heavyweight semi. Fritz, with his booming serve and flat hitting, pushed Alcaraz to the limit — they traded momentum, Fritz snatched the second set, and a nervy fourth-set tiebreak decided it. Alcaraz’s mixture of speed, touch and clutch shot-making in the big moments edged him into yet another Wimbledon final. The atmosphere, the long rallies and the late-set tension made this one of the week’s great Centre-Court battles.

The Men’s Final — a come-from-behind classic

Jannik Sinner d. Carlos Alcaraz — 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4.The final had everything: early drama (Alcaraz took the opener), momentum swings, and grit. Sinner’s response after the first set was measured — he tightened his serve, upped his first-strike aggression and neutralised Alcaraz’s lightning assaults. The match was high quality rather than hyper-dramatic; Sinner’s consistency and tactical discipline won out, and he ultimately became the first Italian man to lift the Wimbledon trophy. It was both revenge (a rematch after Roland-Garros) and a coming-of-age moment for the world No. 1.

Ups and downs — the emotional arcs and what to remember

• Momentum is fragile. Amanda Anisimova’s semi was a career high — then the physical and emotional toll of that three-set war was brutally exposed in the final. Grand slams demand not just brilliance but recovery.

• Dominance vs. drama. Świątek’s route to the title mixed raw dominance (the final) with controlled aggression (the semi), while the men’s side delivered tension and tactical chess — Sinner’s coolness vs Alcaraz’s flair.

• Age vs. youth. Djokovic reminded everyone he’s still elite but Sinner’s win signalled the new guard’s readiness to seize centre stage.

• Heat and conditions mattered. Several matches carried the extra factor of oppressive heat and crowd stoppages; physical management became as decisive as tactics in late rounds.

Closing summary (StillKicking style)

Wimbledon 2025 delivered a delicious mix: Cinderella runs (think Sonay Kartal’s week), stunning upsets (Anisimova over Sabalenka), clinical mastery (Świątek’s final), and shifting eras (Sinner toppling Djokovic and beating Alcaraz for the crown). The semis gave us cliff-hanger tension and crushing authority in equal measure — and the finals underlined how tiny margins and recovery separate the heroic from the humbled.