Steve Flink’s Wimbledon 2025 Preview

Few voices in tennis carry the weight of Hall of Famer Steve Flink. He returned to the Florida Tennis Podcast for a second time to provide a 2025 Wimbledon preview. Flink, author of seminal tennis books including “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” and “Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited” discussed the history and significance of Wimbledon and the special challenges of playing tennis on a grass court.

The iconic tennis journalist gave his insights on what he expects leading up to this year's Wimbledon. “All things being equal, I still would say—without even looking at the draw—the most likely scenario is Alcaraz,” Flink said. “He’s the most likely champion because he's just so comfortable on the grass now. He's such a shotmaker. He's such an athlete.”

That said, the men’s field is wide open at the top. “Sinner would be number two,” Flink explained, referring to the newly crowned world No. 1. “And then Novak, you always put him in there.” While Djokovic may no longer be the clear favorite, Flink isn’t counting him out. “He will absolutely have his say, assuming he's healthy.”

Photo credit: International Tennis Hall of Fame

Flink also anticipates some surprises too. “The one I might single out as the surprise semifinalist is Jack Draper,” he said. “Draper could do it with the crowd behind him. If he can embrace the crowd, he’s going to be tough to beat.” Flink’s not betting on him to go all the way, but says Draper could go far as he's “a really good all-around player.”

As for the American men, Flink sees opportunity but no guarantees. “I’m looking forward to seeing Ben Shelton play there again,” he said. “If he serves well and keeps the points shorter and doesn't get into too many extended rallies, he could do some damage.” Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz? “They’re certainly capable of quarters,” he noted. “But we need to see something special.”

Turning to the women’s draw, Flink was more cautious. “With the women, it’s wide open,” he said. “Rybakina and Sabalenka and Swiatek—they’re all capable.” Yet he pointed out that even the top seeds have struggled for consistency on grass. “Sabalenka should’ve won Wimbledon two years ago, but she let Jabeur off the hook. And then this past year she didn't even make it back.”

Above left to right: Andy Roddick, Steve Flink, Kim Clijsters, and Monique Kalkman inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017. Photo credit: International Tennis Hall of Fame

When pressed to pick a women's favorite, Flink is leaning toward Sabalenka. “She’s always there in the latter stages,” he said. “She pulled out an incredible match against Rybakina and then lost to Vondrousova.” As for the Americans, Madison Keys stands out: “I think she might have the best chance. She's got plenty of matches and had a good French.”

Flink also analyzed the reasons for the success of HOF’er Pete Sampras at Wimbledon and three of the greatest Men’s Finals in Wimbledon history: the 1980 Final between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe; the 2008 Final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer; and the 2019 Final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. So what players will be the champions at this year's Wimbledon?

Flink’s Wimbledon watchlist runs deep, having been to the event over 50 times. “It’s the most unpredictable major,” he said. “Especially on the women's side. Anything can happen on grass.” Be sure to check out more fascinating insights for this living tennis encyclopedia — you can discover more in his exclusive interview via the latest episode of the Florida Tennis Podcast (see below). 

Exclusive Interview

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Written by Florida Tennis Assistant Editor Alex Binstok. Video edited by Assistant Editor Alex Binstok. Florida Tennis Podcast is hosted by Adam Ross and can be found on the Florida Tennis YouTube channel and Bleacher Brothers Network. Top photo credit: International Tennis Hall of Fame