Wimbledon Preview: Top 5 ATP stars who could dominate the grass courts

With less than a week until Wimbledon begins, players are gearing up for the third Grand Slam of the year, marking the conclusion of the grass-court swing. With only a handful of tournaments on this surface, most players struggle to find their top form on grass, while others thrive on its quick court characteristics.

The defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, is set to be one of the favorites for the title. However, there are several contenders who could make a deep run in the tournament. Here are the players to watch who could make headlines during the event:

Jannik Sinner

The world No. 1 remains in top form over the past year, boasting an impressive record of 38-4 (91%) with four titles, including his recent victory at the ATP 500 Halle Open, where he defeated Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets to clinch his first grass-court title.

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At the recent French Open, Sinner came close to defeating Carlos Alcaraz, but the Spaniard turned the match around to advance to the final and claim the title. While Alcaraz had the upper hand on clay, Sinner has shown glimpses of his best grass-court tennis.

His last two appearances at the All England Club ended in the quarterfinals in 2022 and semifinals in 2023, both times falling to the multi-time Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic. Sinner is now the favorite for the title and as the top seed, he is likely to progress through several rounds without facing many high-profile opponents.

Carlos Alcaraz

In 2023, Alcaraz had an impressive grass-court season with 12 consecutive wins and titles at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon. His adaptation to grass has not been a problem, boasting a record of 17-3 (85%) on this surface. Although he suffered an early exit at Queen’s last week, losing in straight sets to local favorite Jack Draper in the round of 16, there are no doubts about his favoritism at Wimbledon.

Alcaraz's confidence is high after winning his third Grand Slam title at the recent French Open, despite inconsistent results in the weeks leading up to Roland Garros. This time at Wimbledon, he aims to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time as the second seed, ensuring he won't face Sinner until a potential final.

The Spanish player aims to join the list of successful Wimbledon title defenders, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and John Newcombe.

Alcaraz won the 2023 Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic.

Jack Draper

The talented 22-year-old Brit has been delivering strong performances over the past two seasons, though he has yet to make the definitive leap among top-level tennis players. His performances during the grass-swing and the ideal setting at Wimbledon as a local favorite will make him one to watch during the tournament.

Draper secured his first professional title less than two weeks ago at the Stuttgart Open, defeating Matteo Berrettini after coming back from a set down in the final. A week later, he achieved the biggest win of his career at the Queen’s Club Championships by defeating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, but he fell to Tommy Paul in his next match in three sets.

Ranked as world No. 29, Draper will be seeded at Wimbledon for the first time, with the possibility of adding some wins as a local. He has already shown his capability by breaking Carlos Alcaraz's streak of 13 consecutive wins on grass, and as long as Draper remains in good physical form, he is one of the top players on grass.

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Hubert Hurkacz

At the Halle Open, he advanced to the final without dropping a set, including a notable victory in the semifinals against second seed Alexander Zverev. In the final, he faced Sinner, and the contested match was decided by details in two tie-breaks in favor of the Italian, with neither player managing to break serve throughout the match.

So far, Hurkacz has a grass-court title (2022 Halle Open) and a record of 24-13 on the surface (65%). The 27-year-old Pole had his best Grand Slam performance at Wimbledon in 2021, reaching the semifinals but falling to Matteo Berrettini. In 2023, he had a strong showing but met 7-time champion Novak Djokovic in the round of 16.

This time, Hurkacz will be the 7th seed, which allows him to avoid higher-ranked opponents until potentially the quarterfinals. With his powerful serve and growing experience on the surface, he has everything to dream of going deep in the tournament and causing some surprises against the top players.

Hurkacz reached semifinals in 2021 Wimbledon.

Matteo Berrettini

Berrettini is one of the top grass-court specialists, considering that four of his eight professional titles were won on grass, and he has twice been a runner-up, including at Wimbledon in 2021 when he lost to Novak Djokovic. This time, he will not be seeded and is one of the names that all top players would prefer to avoid at SW19.

2023 and 2024 have been challenging years for Berrettini, who has struggled with consistency on the tour due to injuries. Last year, he reached the round of 16 despite being out of competition for almost three months. Along the way, he defeated the 15th seed Alex De Minaur and the 19th seed Alexander Zverev but couldn't overcome world No. 1 and eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

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The Italian has a record of 41-10 (80%) on grass and a notable 13-4 (77%) at Wimbledon, demonstrating his high effectiveness on grass courts. Unlike last year, Berrettini arrives this time with better physical sensations and better preparation. He reached the final of the Stuttgart Open (lost to Draper) and the round of 16 in Halle (lost to Marcos Giron).

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Back on the main stage 😍 A year on from his memorable #Wimbledon triumph, @carlosalcaraz returns to Centre Court for practice

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