The third Grand Slam of the year is just around the corner, as Wimbledon gets set to begin on the 30th of June.
Standing head and shoulders above the rest of the field, the heavy favourites for the tournament are the top two-ranked players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who delivered an all-time classic in the French Open final.
The two stars are on a different level to the rest of the tour, and have dominated the major scene for the last year and a half, with the last six Grand Slam crowns going the way of either the Spaniard or the Italian.
Despite their excellence, however, there are a number of players that may go under the radar heading into the grass season, who could cause upsets against Sinner and Alcaraz.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Grass has always been a surface that favours the big servers, and there is perhaps no bigger server on the ATP Tour right now than Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Perricard leads the tour in average aces per match, with 16.9, and has a serve rating of 299.0, which ranks the highest on the official ATP Stats leaderboard.
The Frenchman made his Wimbledon debut last year and made the fourth round, where, after an impressive run, he was ultimately overcome by eventual semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti.
Still just 21 years old, Perricard has his best years ahead of him, and with the biggest first serve in the world, is certainly capable of going the distance at any grass court tournament this season.
Riley Opelka
From one big server to another, Riley Opelka is the only player on the ATP Tour who gets close to Perricard’s numbers in average aces per match, tallying 16.2.
Opelka has a serve rating of 291.5 and is top five in first serve points won, averaging 78.4%.
The 27-year-old reached the final of the Brisbane International this year, where he defeated Novak Djokovic en route to the last two.
His injury problems have prevented him from partaking in the last two grass swings, but if the American can get back into his title-winning form of old, he could cause problems for opponents this summer.
Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton‘s game looks to be in a promising spot at the moment and has shown progress at Grand Slam events in 2025.
After going a year without making it out of the fourth round of a major, Shelton made the semi-final of the Australian Open before bowing out to Sinner.
The 22-year-old made even more progress this season at the French Open, where he reached the fourth round, taking a set off Alcaraz before ultimately suffering defeat.
He’s improving every day, and with his big game so well equipped for grass courts, it’s only a matter of time before Shelton makes a deep run at Wimbledon.
Matteo Berrettini
Matteo Berrettini won the comeback player of the year award in 2024 after winning three titles following a 2023 season riddled with injuries.
The award marked the return to form that fans have come to expect from the Italian over the years.
Berrettini made the Wimbledon final in 2021, losing to Djokovic, but since then hasn’t managed to match his best campaign at the championships, as he couldn’t stay healthy.
Having made the final in Stuttgart on grass last season, and with nine tournaments under his belt this year in what has been a largely healthy 2025, Berrettini could be a dark horse at the All England Club in July.
Tommy Paul
Should Tommy Paul remain injury-free heading into the grass season, the American could cause some big upsets.
Paul has enjoyed a fantastic season so far, reaching a career high of eighth in the world, and making deep runs at several tournaments.
The 28-year-old has only ever appeared at Wimbledon three times, with his best campaign a quarter-final finish last year.
He’s proven what he can do on the surface after winning Queens last year, and in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title in South West London this summer, he has a great chance of being the one to take down the favourites en route to the trophy.
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