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Novak Djokovic didn't lay his hands on a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017 during the 2024 season. His quest for a record 25th Major title remained unfulfilled last year, and he will be keen to get over the hump this year.
Aryna Sabalenka proved that she's no one-trick pony, and won two Major titles in 2024. Carlos Alcaraz continued to expand his trophy cabinet with two more Major titles as well. Jannik Sinner also joined the party by winning two Grand Slam titles.
Players always strive to perform well at the Majors. The Australian Open 2025 will be their first opportunity to do so. On that note, here's predicting who will take home the top honors in tennis this year:
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Australian Open 2025 - Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka
Defending champions: Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka
Sinner brushed aside the field with a slew of impressive performances in 2024. He laid the groundwork for an all-time great season by winning his maiden Major title at the Australian Open, that too by overcoming a two-set deficit in the final. He also won the US Open, the ATP Finals, and three Masters 1000 titles en route to a 73-6 record for the season.
Sinner also claimed 18 wins over top 10 players. While getting to the top is easy, staying there is another task. However, his single-minded focus yielded great results last year, and he's the overwhelming favorite to defend his title Down Under.
Novak Djokovic, the de facto King of Melbourne Park with 10 titles, is a close second to win this year. While he didn't have the best start to 2025 with a quarterfinal exit in Brisbane, a player of his caliber can never be written off.
The Australian Open remains the last frontier for Carlos Alcaraz to conquer. A win in Melbourne would help him complete the career Grand Slam. Even though he's yet to advance beyond the quarterfinals here, he remains a strong pick to win the title.
Sabalenka's hopes of claiming a third successive title at the Australian Open garnered momentum with a title at the Brisbane International over the past weekend. She has reached the final of the last four hardcourt Majors, with a loss at the US Open 2023 being the only blemish on her record.
Sabalenka also has a 27-1 record in Australia since the start of 2023, with Elena Rybakina being the only player to beat her. She will face a stiff challenge from an improved Coco Gauff, who she beat here last year en route to the title.
The Belarusian is aiming to become the first woman to claim three consecutive titles here since Martina Hingis did the same between 1997-99. Records are meant to be broken, or matched at the very least, and this looks like Sabalenka's time to equal a long-standing record.
French Open 2025 - Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff
Defending champions: Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek
Alcaraz fought his way to his first French Open crown last year by staging a comeback to beat Alexander Zverev in five sets. After missing a good chunk of the clay swing due to an injury, he rose like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes to emerge victorious in Paris.
Alcaraz has established himself as the man to beat on clay in recent years. Aside from his French Open triumph last year, he has also won two titles each at the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open. Given his proficiency on the surface, he should be able to claim back-to-back titles in the French capital.
Gauff reached her maiden Major final at the French Open in 2022, and lost to Iga Swiatek in straight sets. She lost to the Pole in the quarterfinals in 2023, and in the semifinals in 2024.
Swiatek is the three-time defending champion at the French Open. However, after playing second fiddle to her older rival for so long, this could be Gauff's time to shine. She beat the Pole en route to the WTA Finals title last year, and claimed another win over her in the final of this year's United Cup.
Swiatek still leads the rivalry 11-3 but Gauff is slowly gaining some momentum. The American won the doubles crown at the French Open last year, and could claim the singles trophy this time.
Wimbledon 2025 - Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka
Defending champions: Carlos Alcaraz, Barbora Krejcikova
Sinner's game is perfectly suited for grass, and he has the potential to end Alcaraz's two-year reign at the All England Club. The Italian was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2023, and made the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2024.
Sinner also won a title on grass in the lead-up to Wimbledon in 2024. Alcaraz did beat the Italian thrice last year, and accounted for half of his six losses during the year. No man has won three titles at Wimbledon this century aside from Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Alcaraz has what it takes to match the two greats of the sport. However, it feels like Sinner could stop him from achieving the feat this year after making the second week of Wimbledon the last three years.
After being injured for most of 2024, Krejcikova stunned the field with her triumph at Wimbledon. However, it seems like her physical woes are never going to end, and she has already withdrawn from this year's Australian Open.
Sabalenka has been pipped to win Wimbledon for a while now. She was a semifinalist in 2021, and couldn't participate in 2022 due to a ban on Russian and Belarusian players. She made the semifinals in 2023, and lost to Ons Jabeur in three sets.
An injury forced Sabalenka to skip last year's Wimbledon. She has the game to succeed on grass, and has been the most consistent player at the Majors for the past two years. It wouldn't be that surprising to see her be the last woman standing at the All England Club this year.
US Open 2025 - Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff
Defending champions: Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka
Djokovic's quest for a record 25th Major title could come to fruition at the US Open. No man has defended his title in New York since Federer won his fifth and final title here in 2008. While his younger peers are likely to be tired by this time of the season, his relatively lighter schedule could prove to be the difference.
Djokovic has already won the US Open four times, and lost in the final on six occasions. He has defied odds time and time again, and his desire to break records is second to none in the history of the sport. He finally claimed an Olympic gold last year when it looked like he would end his career without one. There's no way he doesn't claim a 25th Major this year given his drive and talent.
Gauff staged a memorable comeback to beat Sabalenka in the US Open 2023 final and win her very first Grand Slam title. Two years after her first triumph, she could claim a second trophy in New York this year.
Gauff is still young and improving, and her recent coaching change has worked wonders for her. After splitting with Brad Gilbert in September 2024, she hired Matt Daly. Since then, she has won the China Open, the WTA Finals, and the United Cup.
Her confidence is at an all-time high. If they continue at this pace, then this partnership is going to yield strong results prior to the US Open as well. Once they arrive in New York, with her crowd in her corner as well, Gauff will be unstoppable.
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