By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, July 3, 2025
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Wimbledon—Dramatic upsets have rocked Wimbledon week one.
Four of the Top 10 men’s seeds—No. 3-seeded Alexander Zverev, seventh-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, eighth-seeded Holger Rune and ninth-seeded Daniil Medvedev—all fell in the first round and No. 12-seeded Frances Tiafoe lost in the second round to Cameron Norrie yesterday.
Despite the seismic shift, Toni Nadal says a familiar face will raise the title trophy on the tournament’s final Sunday.
Toni Nadal says the 2025 Wimbledon champion will be one of three men: two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic.
Despite Fabio Fognini pushing him to five sets in his Wimbledon opener, Toni Nadal says Alcaraz, riding a career-best 20-match winning streak into round three, is clearly the favorite.
“The main question on the minds of fans and experts is, without a doubt, whether anyone will be able to defeat our great player,’ Toni Nadal wrote in his column for El Pais.
‘I sincerely believe that, under normal conditions, very few opponents have the ability to trouble Carlos.
“It’s true that on grass courts, the element of surprise comes into play more, but looking at the draw he’s facing and considering the fact that the surface is less damaged in the first few days and the game is very fast, I don’t see anyone who can seriously challenge him.”
The five-time Grand Slam champion’s all-court acumen, ability to shift speeds of his shots and superb net play make him favorite on the prestigious SW19 lawn, Toni Nadal wrote.
“Alcaraz also possesses, as he has demonstrated over the last two years, the almost perfect conditions to perform with ease on the London grass,” Toni Nadal wrote in El Pais. “As if that weren’t enough, the Murcia-born player arrived at the tournament brimming with morale and confidence following his epic comeback in the Roland Garros final and his recent triumph at Queen’s.
“Without a doubt, Carlos is the star of the year and the man to beat. The only two players who could possibly catch him along the way are the current number one, Jannik Sinner, and seven-time Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic.”
Uncle Toni’s prediction aligns with Tennis Now’s pre-tournament forecast though we gave British home hero Jack Draper a shot and Toni Nadal doesn’t at this time.
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Toni Nadal, uncle and original coach of Rafa Nadal, met Spanish media at “The Battle Of Stars” celebrity golf pro-am in Mallorca last month and said then Alcaraz owns the skills to match and perhaps even exceed the historic career results of Rafael Nadal.
Uncle Toni cites a few reasons why he believes Alcaraz can achieve a career similar to 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal: the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon winner is exceptionally skilled, an explosive athlete—and for now the 22-year-old Spaniard’s primary rival is Sinner whereas Rafa Nadal had to confront two fellow legends in Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
“[Carlitos] is an exceptional player who has all the [skills] in the world,” Toni Nadal told Spanish media in comments published by AS.com. “He’s the fastest, he hits it very hard, he hits it well with a drive, with a backhand, the serve has improved a lot…
“I see him as a great player and on top of that I think he has an advantage, today he doesn’t have the best Federer or the best Djokovic as rivals. He has a very good one which is Jannik Sinner, but I think the others for him are quite [manageable].”
