Ranked: The 5 best ATP players who could lift a first Grand Slam title in 2025

For all the talk of a wide-open era of men’s tennis following the end of the ‘Big Three’ age, 2024 seemed to suggest that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will dominate for years to come.
World No 1 Sinner won his first two major titles at the Australian and US Opens, while Alcaraz is now a winner of four Grand Slam singles titles following his French Open and Wimbledon triumphs.
They and Novak Djokovic will be tough to stop in 2025, but could we see another new Grand Slam singles champion?
Here, we rank five leading contenders to end their Grand Slam drought over the next 12 months.
5) Andrey Rublev
Current Ranking: 8
Grand Slam Best: US Open QF x4, Australian Open QF x3, French Open QF x2, Wimbledon QF x1
Is 2025 the season that Rublev finally makes it past the quarter-final stage of a Slam – and then goes on to win the title?
The Russian has undeniable talent and one of the best forehands on tour, but has a staggering 0-10 record in the last eight of Grand Slam tournaments.
Former world No 5 Rublev did not have a vintage 2024 season and struggled at points, but even across a topsy-turvy year managed to win a Masters 1000 title and finish the year inside the top 10.
A lot will have to go right for Rublev to win a Slam but he is among the best active players not to have won one.
4) Alex de Minaur
Current Ranking: 9
Grand Slam Best: 2020 & 2024 US Open QF, 2024 French Open QF, 2024 Wimbledon QF
De Minaur is one spot below Rublev in the rankings but his upward trajectory across 2024 makes him feel like the bigger threat of the two heading into 2025.
The Australian’s season was derailed by the injury he sustained at Wimbledon but he still managed to reach at least the second week at all four Slams – including three straight quarter-finals.
World No 9 de Minaur won two ATP Tour titles and cracked the top 10 in a landmark year in which he qualified for the ATP Finals for the first time.
There are sometimes issues for the 25-year-old when he faces the very top players, but he will be tough to beat at all levels across the next 12 months.
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3) Casper Ruud
Current Ranking: 6
Grand Slam Best: 2022 & 2023 French Open RU, 2022 US Open RU
No active male player has reached more major finals without winning one than Ruud, who has three Grand Slam runner-up finishes to his name.
The Norwegian did not make a Slam final in 2024 but it was arguably one of the strongest seasons of his career, with two titles and three further tour finals to his name before illness derailed the second half of the year.
Despite that, Ruud finished the year as the world No 6 and seemed to rediscover some form at the ATP Finals, where he made the last four.
Twice a runner-up at Roland Garros and one of the best clay-courters out there, he should always be considered a threat in Paris.
2) Taylor Fritz
Current Ranking: 4
Grand Slam Best: 2024 US Open RU
Fritz cemented his place as America’s leading ATP Tour star in a year which saw the 27-year-old break new ground by cracking the top five of the rankings – and reach the US Open final.
It was not just in New York where the world No 4 impressed though, with Fritz matching or achieving career-best results at all four Slams in 2024.
The winner of two ATP Tour titles this season, he heads into 2025 knowing he can beat pretty much anyone, though the likes of Djokovic, Sinner, and Alcaraz still prove to be a stumbling block for him.
However, should he put himself into position, he’s proven he’s more than capable of taking advantage.
1) Alexander Zverev
Current Ranking: 2
Grand Slam Best: 2020 US Open RU, 2024 French Open RU
Zverev might well be the greatest male player to never win a Grand Slam singles title – can he finally break his major duck in 2025?
The German has had a hugely successful career, reaching finals in both New York and Paris, reaching a career-high of world No 2 – where he is currently ranked – and winning 23 ATP tour titles.
Zverev’s issue often appears to be a mental one, with the 27-year-old often appearing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when it comes to Slams and best-of-five-set matches.
There can be no doubt that Zverev has the game to win at least one Grand Slam title in his career and, should things fall into place, he is undoubtedly the most likely new major winner this season.
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