Something about Wimbledon is just different.
The players put it down to the crowd, the traditionalism, and it is the only Grand Slam in the tennis calendar where people are desperate enough to set up camp in the infamous queue outside the grounds in the hope of catching a glimpse of the top stars.
It is where players have announced themselves on the biggest stage of all, with the likes of Nick Kyrgios stunning Rafael Nadal back in 2014, becoming the first man ranked outside the top 100 top 100 to eliminate a world No1 from a Grand Slam since 1992.
Boris Becker became the youngest-ever champion at just 17 years of age in 1985, and Sergiy Stakhovsky produced a serve-and-volley masterclass to defeat Roger Federer in 2013.
That same year, Sabine Lisicki shocked the world by overcoming Serena Williams, ending the American’s 34-match unbeaten streak.
Here, Standard Sport takes a look at the stars who could truly explode onto the scene at the All England Club…
Joao Fonseca
The Brazilian - branded by some as the ‘Neymar of tennis’ for his flamboyance on court - is seen as the top prodigy in the men’s game right now, and he backed that up with a remarkable run to the quarter-finals at the French Open earlier this month.
On that run to the last eight at Roland-Garros, he stunned 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, announcing the arrival of the new wave in dramatic, five-set fashion on Court-Philippe Chatrier.
That comeback victory over the Serb got a monkey off his back, as he finally defeated one of today’s ‘big four’.
He had fallen to defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner in the last 16 of Indian Wells, before Carlos Alcaraz swept him aside in straight sets at the Miami Open just a week later.
Alexander Zverev, the French Open winner, overcame a second-set blip to oust the 19-year-old in three sets on the Monte Carlo clay.
But it was the heart that Fonseca showed to roar back against Djokovic - in tandem with the technical brilliance and raw athleticism - that really proved he was worth his hype.
Many players, with similar styles to the Brazilian, are hugely popular for their exuberant playstyles, but while they will sometimes display flashes of brilliance on the tour throughout the year, they can go missing when all eyes are on them at a major.
For Fonseca, that moment arrived at Roland-Garros, and will prove - not just to those externally but to himself - that he has what it takes to shine at Grand Slam level.
He reached the third round here last year - defeated by the big-serving Nicolas Jarry - but his game has come on since then, and he found a way to handle those with booming deliveries better.
That was demonstrated by a morale-bolstering victory over Tommy Paul at Indian Wells back in March, before nullifying Casper Ruud’s one-two punch in Paris to great effect.
He is still adapting to the grass, suffering a surprise defeat by Yannick Hanfmann in the first round of Halle, and he pulled out of the Eastbourne Open last minute to keep himself fresh for Wimbledon.
Fonseca’s all-court approach and extravagant playstyle will make him a tricky opponent for anyone on any surface.
Learner Tien
Another product of the US collegiate system, Tien stands apart from the others that came before him.
The 20-year-old, born to Hoa refugees who fled south Vietnam, attended the famous University of Southern California, but quickly rose to prominence with a junior final appearance at the Australian Open in 2023, having broken the record to become the youngest ever player in the 2022 US Open main draw, a place he earned after becoming the national junior champion at 16.
It was at last year’s Australian Open that he really became a force to be reckoned with, upsetting three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne after a marathon second round encounter. He repeated the feat earlier this year, dumping the Russian out once more with a far quicker and more resounding straight-sets victory in the fourth round.
In Mexico, he stunned Zverev, the top seed in Acapulco, and he claimed a maiden ATP Tour title at Moselle in November, defeating Britain’s Cameron Norrie in France.
He ended 2025 with the ATP Next Gen Finals title, crowning the best player under 20 in the men’s game, avenging his final loss to Fonseca in 2024.
Take a look at Tien’s player box and you will recognise a familiar face. Michael Chang, the former World No2 and the youngest man to ever win a singles major at the 1989 French Open, is his coach.
Tien’s engine and dogged defence are his greatest assets as he grinds out baseline battles for fun, which should make him an enjoyable watch on the Wimbledon grass.
Now the world No17, the American has a point to prove on the big stage. He, like Fonseca, has proved that he can do it amid the raucous rabble Down Under, but can he do it in the deafening silence of Wimbledon?
Jakub Mensik
With Mensik’s style of play, you would think that a grass court would suit him down to a tee.
However, the exciting young Czech has struggled on the turf since he emerged as a leading light of the next generation.
The 20-year-old was denied a maiden Grand Slam final appearance at Roland-Garros by Zverev earlier this month, having bested Fonseca in three sets in the last eight in a dominant display.
The 26th seed in Paris had shown true grit to power past Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev in upset victories on the dirt, to follow on from his stunning quarter-final victory over Sinner in Qatar back in February.
On the turf, he has made the quarter-final stage at both Mallorca and Eastbourne in previous years, but he was beaten in the opening round at Queen’s Club this summer, as veteran Adrian Mannarino outsmarted him in an entertaining three-setter.
Standing at 6’5” with a thunderous serve, followed by a whipping forehand, you would expect Mensik to come good on the faster grass surface, but what stands him apart from his other taller peers is his stamina and reach, able to cover the baseline at lightning speed to stay in lung-busting, longer rallies.
Iva Jovic
18-year-old Jovic has already become quite the star from her run to the semi-finals at Queen’s Club this month.
The American, born to Serbian and Croatian parents, has grass-court pedigree with a title at Ilkley last year, and her style of play shows that she is someone to be feared in the women’s draw.
The teenager has said previously that she has been heavily inspired by Djokovic, with her style focused around suffocating opponents, taking the ball on the rise, and stepping into the court aggressively.
She dictates play like the Serb often does, running her rivals from side to side, searching for the perfect angle to laser a winner.
“She definitely has all the tools to be a future champion and a future world No1,” Djokovic said of Jovic earlier this year.
She was on hot form at the Australian Open in January, reaching the quarter-finals, beating two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini en route.
Two wins over the tricky Alexandra Eala at both Roland-Garros and Queen’s set her up for beating last year’s Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova two weeks ago, recovering from a second-set lapse to earn her place in the last four.
There, she was beaten by a determined Emma Raducanu, roared on by her home support, but those on Andy Murray Arena watched on with an element of angst ahead of the match, with fifth-seed Jovic’s ruthlessness on show throughout the week.
Instead, it was the Briton that taught the teenager a lesson, but Jovic has already proved herself to be a serious dark horse this year.
Alexandra Eala
The mercurial Eala has upset the apple cart for a couple of years now, but has struggled for real consistency as she bids to crack the top 20 in the WTA rankings.
The 21-year-old arrived on the big stage when she raced into the semi-finals at the MIami Open last year, defeating Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route, ranked just 140 in the world.
Upon beating Swiatek, she became the first Filipino female to defeat a Grand Slam champion on the WTA tour in the Open era. She continued her upwards trajectory at Eastbourne, losing in the final, before taking defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova the distance at the All England Club, giving the Czech an almighty Centre Court scare.
She claimed a maiden grass-court title at Birmingham this year to stamp her authority on the swing, and she is coming off the back of a run to the last four in Berlin, where she defeated Queen’s champion Donna Vekic - a specialist on the turf - alongside former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and two-time semi-finalist Elina Svitolina before falling to eventual champion Linda Noskova.
Known for her front-footed nature, Eala is a joy to watch when in full flow. She makes full use of her left-handed advantage with plenty of topspin, but she has shown an intelligence to depart from that when playing on the quicker grass.
Her speed across the court and agility in changing direction quickly means that she can be great fun when further up the court, particularly if she has her opponent cornered after driving them deep behind the baseline with her groundstrokes.
