As strawberries and cream make their annual comeback and Centre Court gets a fresh trim, Wimbledon 2025 is already serving up more than just tennis. From Novak Djokovic’s surprising defense, to Iga Swiatek’s emotional breakdown, and Emma Raducanu’s rumored romance with Carlos Alcaraz, this pre-tournament buzz has enough spice to rival any five-set thriller. Let’s break it all down!

Novak Djokovic stands up for Aryna Sabalenka

After falling short in the final against Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka made headlines, not for her gameplay, but for what she said off the court. Claiming she played “terrible tennis” and suggesting that Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff if she’d made the final instead, Sabalenka rubbed plenty of people the wrong way. Critics accused her of undermining Gauff’s win, but not everyone was ready to pile on.

Speaking at his Wimbledon press conference, Novak Djokovic offered some perspective. “We all at the end of the day are human beings that have difficult emotions that they have to handle right after they lost a big match,” he said. “Things happen when your blood is running hot. It’s not always easy to suppress that and put diplomacy ahead, even though I feel like it’s important to pay respect and acknowledge the success of your opponent that just beat you.” He further said, “I saw what she said and everything. I think, well, in the end she clarified it. Look, it happens. Maybe it came out in a wrong way, but she didn’t mean to disrespect Coco.” 

Turns out, there’s no lingering bad blood between the two top seeds. Sabalenka and Gauff have since practiced together on the Wimbledon grass and even teamed up for some fun TikToks videos.

While the two top seeds have patched things up and are charging confidently into Wimbledon, Iga Swiatek is left picking up the pieces after yet another emotional, titleless setback.

Iga Swiatek’s emotions spill over in heartbreaking pre-Wimbledon loss

Iga Swiatek was hoping to bring some winning momentum into Wimbledon, but instead, she left the Bad Homburg Open in tears. After breezing past heavy hitters like Victoria Azarenka and Jasmine Paolini, the Polish star met her match in Jessica Pegula. The American, calm and clinical, outplayed Swiatek 6-4, 7-5 to bag the second grass-court title of her career after Berlin last year.

The loss stung even more for the Pole, as she now heads into Wimbledon still searching for her first title since her 2024 French Open triumph. She sat courtside, towel over her face, visibly crushed by yet another title slipping away.

Iga Swiatek now has one more shot to reset—she opens her Wimbledon campaign against Polina Kudermetova on Tuesday. Will the grass finally be greener for her in London?

Speaking of things heating up in London… let’s shift gears to a duo everyone’s watching off the court.

Emma Raducanu breaks silence on Carlos Alcaraz romance rumours

Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz have been making waves off the court lately. It all kicked off when Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he and Emma Raducanu would be teaming up for the new mixed doubles event at the US Open. The announcement alone was enough to spark fan excitement.

However, things really picked up when the Briton was spotted watching the Spaniard from the balcony at Queen’s Club during his semi-final match. A few days later, the two were seen practicing together on the Wimbledon courts and later posed side-by-side for a promotional shoot with their mutual sponsor, Evian. Naturally, the internet ran with it. Nicknames like “Raducaraz” and “Alcaranu” started trending, and the dating rumors weren’t far behind.

So, are they dating? “We’re just good friends,” the British No.1 clarified at her Wimbledon presser, smiling through the speculation.

Alcaraz kicks off his Wimbledon title defense against Fabio Fognini, while Raducanu takes on British wildcard Mimi Xu in her opener. Whether romance is in the air or not, both will have plenty of eyes on them this fortnight.

From tension and tears to TikToks and titles, Wimbledon 2025 already feels like a blockbuster in the making, and we haven’t even hit the first round. Are we in for even more unexpected twists from SW19?