Wimbledon 2025 live: Defending champion Alcaraz books quarterfinal ticket

At the French Open three weeks ago, Carlos Alcaraz (22) and Jannik Sinner (23) battled it out in a final for the ages, with the Spaniard winning in five and a half hours. And now, all eyes are on the two currently dominant superstars of the tennis scene. Alcaraz enters the tournament as the heavy favorite; he would become only the fifth male player in professional history to win the grass-court classic three times in a row. World number one Sinner, on the other hand, has never been in the final. Novak Djokovic (37) could make a serious attempt at his eighth Wimbledon triumph, possibly for the last time.

In the women's competition, the question of favorites is much more open. In the past two years, Czech underdogs Barbora Krejcikova and Marketa Vondrousova triumphed. World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and American French Open champion Coco Gauff have never won a grass-court tournament. After their recent public spat—Sabalenka downplayed Gauff's Paris final victory with controversial statements—the two appeared reconciled: During practice on Centre Court, they recorded a dance together for a TikTok video.

There hasn't been such a low German participation in a long time: Led by Zverev, only seven German tennis professionals are competing in the singles competition. The last time this few was 43 years ago (6). World number three Zverev recently showed decent grass court form in Stuttgart (final) and Halle, Westphalia (semifinal) – but he has never finished among the top eight at Wimbledon on his weakest surface. This year's quarterfinals could see American Taylor Fritz as a bogeyman on his quest for a first Grand Slam title.

In the women's competition, Tatjana Maria recently surprised everyone by winning the Queen's title. However, to repeat the feat of reaching the semifinals in 2022, everything will have to go right for the 37-year-old mother of two daughters – she could face world number two Jessica Pegula as early as the second round.

On July 7, 1985, Becker made history with his sensational triumph, and the hype surrounding the "17-year-old from Leimen" was boundless. However, he won't be on-site as a TV expert for his anniversary. Instead, he will be working for Sky Italia from Milan, as in previous years. Following his early release in December 2022 from a London prison sentence for making false statements in bankruptcy proceedings, Becker has been barred from entering England in recent years.

17-year-old Boris Becker dives after a ball during the Wimbledon tournament in July 1985.

Source: Rüdiger Schrader/dpa

Becker received 130,000 British pounds for his title 40 years ago. Today, the male and female singles winners each receive three million British pounds (approximately €3.52 million), up from 2.7 million pounds last year. First-round participation always earns 66,000 pounds (approximately €77,400). Prize money is equal for men and women, with a total of 53.5 million pounds (€62.7 million) distributed among all competitors. Of the four Grand Slam tournaments, only the US Open offers more.

As in the previous year, Amazon's streaming provider Prime Video will be broadcasting the tournament. A Prime subscription is required to watch. Experts include Michael Stich, Andrea Petkovic, and Sabine Lisicki.