This year, Iga Swiatek produced a stunning set of performances to win the 2025 Wimbledon Ladies Singles title.
Swiatek entered the tournament as a relative outsider for the title due to her past struggles on the surface.
The Pole defied the odds, dropping just one set on her way to title glory.
Remarkably, Swiatek became the first tennis player – male or female – to win a Grand Slam title by bagelling her opponent in the final three sets of the tournament.
Swiatek, who defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final, secured her sixth Grand Slam title.
Will the Polish star defend her title in 2026? Greg Rusedski does not seem to think so.
Greg Rusedski says Elena Rybakina is the ‘hot tip’ to win the 2026 Wimbledon Ladies Singles title
Elena Rybakina was the most in-form player on the WTA Tour at the end of the 2025.
The Kazakhstani star, ranked fifth in the world, won the final 11 matches she contested, winning the Ningbo Open and WTA Finals during this period.
When in top form, Rybakina is one of the most dangerous players on the Tour, and she is certainly among the favourites to win the 2026 Australian Open.
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Greg Rusedski, the former British number one, has predicted that Rybakina will challenge for the top honours in 2026 and begin an exciting rivalry with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
She [Rybakina] had a great finish to the season where she beat Sabalenka in the finals,” Rusedski said on the Off Court with Greg podcast.
“I have a feeling that we talked about rivalries, and I think it could be Sabalenka and Rybakina.
“Because of the fact she is such a dominant force in the game, she has won Wimbledon, she has been to major finals multiple times. She has got the game.
“Off court she had a lot of difficulties but there was an investigation by the WTA into her coach. That has been cleared now completely.
“So she had multiple coaches last season, Goran Ivanesevic started the year and left at the Australian Open, Davide Sanguinetti was the coach and then Stefano Vukov is back.
“Since then her results have improved dramatically and I think with that partnership she is going to go from strength to strength and contend for majors.
“I would not be surprised if she goes on to win the Australian Open but I think she is the hot tip to win Wimbledon this year, just because of her power game and everything that she went through in 2025. She seems to be back to her best.”
Elena Rybakina’s 2022 Wimbledon triumph
Despite her obvious talent, Elena Rybakina has won just one Grand Slam title during her career.
The 26-year-old, who may have underachieved to this point, won her only major at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
Rybakina comfortably manoeuvred her way through the first four rounds in 2022, defeating CoCo Vandeweghe, Bianca Andreescu, Qinwen Zheng and Petra Martic in straight sets.
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Rybakina faced a sterner test in the quarter-finals against Ajla Tomljanovic, but managed to advance in three sets. She then knocked out 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep in the semi-finals.
In the final, Rybakina fought from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
This year, Rybakina lost in the Wimbledon third round to Clara Tauson.
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