11 biggest Grand Slam storylines of 2025

Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 Grand Slam season, Tennis Now is running it back for a look at the top ten storylines that emerged over the course of the stunning season. 

Alcaraz and Sinner Make History 

The Sincaraz™ rivalry hit a new level in 2025. Let’s be honest, we were already hooked before the season started, but after three consecutive grand slam finals, we now know we are onto something generational with these two juggernauts. 

For the first time in open era history, the same two players have met in three grand slam finals consecutively.

In the end, the Spaniard came away with two of the three but not before he was knocked off his perch at Wimbledon where he was bidding for a very rare threepeat on the hallowed grass in London.

That four-set victory by Sinner came just a few weeks after he lost an epic final in Paris in which he held the two sets to love lead and three championship points before falling to Alcaraz in five. Advantage Alcaraz, overall – the Spaniard has won 10 of 15 against Sinner, and seven of the last eight.

What can these two possibly do for an encore? We can’t wait to find out.

Keys Comes of Age 

As it turns out the Aussie summer in 2025 was also this summer of Madi. Keys, that is. After a winter of upheaval in her game in which she made major changes with her coach and husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, Keys emerged a more stable and opportunistic player than ever before, and it showed as she rifled through the WTA‘s No. 1 and No. 2-ranked players to take her first major title in Melbourne.

Her semifinal win over Iga Swiatek and her final triumph over Aryna Sabalenka were the stuff of dreams.  

Swiatek’s Wimbledon Breakthrough 

Whatever was going on with Poland’s Iga Swiatek for the first half of the 2025 season, it abruptly came to an end at Wimbledon.  

After a spring of discontent, featuring not a single title won, and a disappointing failure to complete what would have been a fourth consecutive title run in Paris, Swiatek kept searching for solutions and eventually found them on the perennial rye grass at the all England Club. 

There she engineered a run for the ages storming to her first Wimbledon title and sixth major title overall. 

We don’t yet know the ramifications of this victory, but it could be a career changing event that unlocks the door for more success and faster surfaces.

Sabalenka Finishes Like a Boss 

She was the most consistent player at the majors in 2025, and yet in early September she was still without a title to hang her name by. This was the story of Aryna Sabalenka, and once again it unfolded as a tale of perseverance and fortitude as she shook off the frustration of falling short at the previous three majors and rumbled to a decisive title defense at Flushing Meadows.

With her takedown of Amanda Anisimova in the final, Sabalenka claims her fourth major title and is now tied with Naomi Osaka for third on the active Grand Slam women’s singles title list. Surely more are to come.

Djokovic Holds the Line 

In a year that saw him turn 38 at Roland Garros we were wide-eyed with wonder at the level of tennis the 24 time major champion Novak Djokovic produced at the majors.

Sure, his body didn’t hold up and get him to the promised land in any of his four major appearances, but four consecutive grand slam semifinals is nothing to scoff at. 

Along the way, Djokovic broke the all-time record for Grand Slam semifinals reached, and he became the oldest player to ever reach for major semifinals in a single season.

Djokovic’s Grand Slam winning days may be behind him, or they may not. It doesn’t really feel important at this stage of the game, what is important is embracing this icon of our sport every time he takes the court.

Gauff Wins Ugly, and It Is Beautiful

By her own admission, she played poorly in Paris. How then, did Coco Gauff come away with her second major title in a tournament that was supposed to be dominated by four-time champion Iga Swiatek?

Safe to say: Coco’s gonna Coco. The American used her breathtaking athleticism coupled with her scrappiness and her Tennis IQ to finagle her way to the title, defeating world number one Sabalenka the final. 

Don’t let the post tournament chatter fool you: maybe Coco didn’t play flawlessly, but she was bloody awesome and showed just how elite her court coverage and mental toughness are en route to this memorable title in Paris.

Though she struggled at the final two majors of the year, the fact that Gauff focused her attention on making improvements to her serve likely means that she’ll emerge as a stronger force when 2026 rolls around.

Anisimova Refuses to Wilt 

Double bageled in a Wimbledon final? That could’ve easily been the end of the story for American Amanda Anisimova. Oh, but it was far from the end. Anisimova handled her difficult loss to Swiatek on Centre Court with such poise and character, and by doing so eventually ended up turning a travesty into a testament. 

A testament to her toughness and to her breathtaking game. She didn’t bow when faced with the adversity of suffering the first 6-0, 6-0 loss in a Grand Slam final since 1988.

Instead, she gathered herself. Instead she grew. And she fought like heck to get back to another final. And when she got there, Anisimova wasn’t able to come up with the win but she made her presence felt in a way that said: look out for me next year.

The Men Can’t Get Past 1,2,3 

Aforementioned Alcaraz and Sinner have now won each of the last eight major titles on offer, a streak that is the longest since Federer and Nadal won 11 straight from 2005 to 2007.  

What it says about them is clear: they are incredible, and a cut above the rest of the tour. But what about the rest of the tour, players like Jack Draper, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton?

Is there any room for them to wiggle through a window and get a major title or will it be the same next year?

Stay tuned.

Andreeva Takes a Step Back? 

Maybe it was just us. After Mirra Andreeva came back from a set down to defeat Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final, we really felt like the Russian might be headed for something bigger and better in 2025. 

But she fell short at the next three majors and really hasn’t asserted herself much in the second half of the season. Andreeva played well at the majors in 2025, going 13-4 overall, but she couldn’t get past the quarters. Was it just a speed bump for the 18-year-old? She’s still young and has time on her side, but we’re left wondering: what happened to Mirra, and what will next year look like?

American Women Play All the Finals

Full credit goes to the American women who have now reached at least the final in each of the last five majors. Madison Keys set the tone by winning the Australian Open and was followed by Gauff’s exploits in Paris. Then it was time for Amanda Anisimova to do her thing at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. 

Who will carry the torch in 2026 for the stars and stripes?

Hellos: Fonseca, Mboko, Eala, Wong 

We had our share of goodbyes in 2025, bidding farewell to the likes of two-time major champion Petra Kvitova, Caroline Garcia, and Fabio Fognini. 

All the more reason to cherish our hellos. We saw the first Grand Slam wins of rising stars Joao Fonseca, Alexandra Eala, Coleman Wong, and Canadian talent Victoria Mboko. 

Keep an eye on those four in 2026.