PREVIEW | Wimbledon 2025 Day One: Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz begin their campaigns to cement favoritism

Wimbledon 2025 kicks off this Monday, June 30th, with the start of both the men's and women's draws. Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, and Alexander Zverev are among the biggest names hitting the courts on Day One. Other highlights include the debut of local favorite Emma Raducanu and a compelling clash between Britain's Katie Boulter and Spain's Paula Badosa.

The tournament begins with the top half of the women's draw and the bottom half of the men's. Other notable players making their debuts include Jasmine Paolini, Taylor Fritz, Zheng Qinwen, Matteo Berrettini, Madison Keys, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will open Centre Court against 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini. The Spaniard arrives in impeccable form, boasting an 18-match winning streak—his best ever—and three consecutive titles, including Roland Garros just weeks ago and a new grass-court title at Queen's Club Championships last week. Alcaraz has already beaten Fognini in their two previous encounters.

Following Alcaraz's match, it will be the turn of his compatriot, World No. 9 Paula Badosa, facing one of the local hopes, 28-year-old Brit Katie Boulter. Badosa is once again dealing with physical issues, having retired from her quarter-final match at the Berlin Ladies Open against Xinyu Wang (1-6, ret). On the other side, Boulter is one of the toughest unseeded players, with two career grass-court titles and strong home support. Badosa will need to start strong to avoid a potential upset.

The day will conclude with men's World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who quietly seeks to make a Grand Slam impact once again. Zverev has never made it past the 4th round at Wimbledon, and despite a mixed recent run, he'll be looking to contend for the title. He debuts against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, closing out the Centre Court action.

While Alcaraz inaugurates the main court, Aryna Sabalenka will take center stage on Court 1. The World No. 1 is a title favorite, despite having fallen in both Grand Slam finals this year (Australian Open and French Open). The Belarusian aims to improve on her 2023 semi-final result at SW19, considering she withdrew from the 2024 tournament due to injury. She debuts against qualifier Carson Branstine, who surprised many by eliminating Bianca Andreescu and Loïs Boisson in qualifying.

After Sabalenka's match, local talent Jacob Fearnley will face rising 18-year-old star João Fonseca. High expectations surround the Brazilian, who has very little grass-court experience. He'll need to adapt quickly against Fearnley, who is more than accustomed to this surface.

The day on Court 1 will conclude with an all-British women's clash: British No. 1 Emma Raducanu (World No. 38) takes on 17-year-old Mingge Xu, who received a wildcard for her first main draw Grand Slam appearance. Raducanu admitted she arrives with low expectations due to a recent injury that forced her to withdraw from Berlin. A victory could set up a blockbuster second-round encounter against Sabalenka.