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The grass-court season continues to serve up surprise champions on the WTA Tour, aligning with this week’s theme of players putting themselves into good position ahead of Wimbledon.

Marketa Vondrousova claimed the Berlin Open title for her first trophy since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova’s return to the winner’s circle was anything but typical: she missed significant time following shoulder surgery in 2024 and a thigh injury earlier this year.

The WTA 500 in Berlin marked just her second tournament since February. She won five matches in six days, after managing only six wins total in the previous six months before arriving in Germany.

Ranked No. 164 at the start of the week, Vondrousova became the lowest-ranked champion in Berlin Open history and surged 91 spots to No. 73. It capped a week of unpredictability: five of the top seven seeds failed to win a match, and Vondrousova knocked out both World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

Next up: A return to Wimbledon.

Andy raves about the Czech’s gritty run through a brutal draw and asks JW if he can name eight players he’d pick over Vondrousova heading into Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, American McCartney Kessler lifted the Nottingham WTA 250 trophy on Sunday. Starting 2024 outside the Top 200, Kessler now holds two titles this year and sits at a career-high No. 32.

The former Florida Gator won her first main-draw match on grass just last week at Queen’s Club and backed it up by defeating two-time defending Nottingham champion Katie Boulter in the quarterfinals.

Andy and JW praise the rising American, with Wertheim calling her a “dangerous player” when a major arrives. Now seeded at Wimbledon, Kessler is yet another player playing her way into contention.

If anyone is finding their form ahead of Wimbledon, it’s Alexander Bublik.

The Kazakhstani not only became the first player outside of Carlos Alcaraz to defeat World No. 1 Jannik Sinner since last August, he also earned his first career win over Daniil Medvedev on the way to capturing the Halle title. The two even shared in a candid champagne celebration during Sunday’s trophy ceremony.

Bublik joined elite company, becoming just the fourth man to win multiple titles in Halle, alongside Roger Federer, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and Tommy Haas.

It’s a remarkable turnaround in what’s been a rollercoaster 2025 season. Bublik had lost 8 of 10 matches before reaching a Challenger final in March, then he won the Challenger event in Turin in May.

Since reaching the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros, where he lost to Sinner, he’s climbed 29 spots in the rankings to No. 30 and secured a seed at Wimbledon.

It looks like that March road trip to Las Vegas paid off.

Andy says Bublik is a top-10 player on grass right now, while JW sounds the alarm for anyone drawn against him: “Danger, danger.”

While Bublik is in top form, Carlos Alcaraz continues to prove why he’s the favorite at Wimbledon. He claimed his third straight title by winning Queen’s Club on Sunday, extending his win streak to 18 matches. He’s now reached five consecutive finals and won four of them.

Alcaraz also notched his fourth career grass-court title, matching Rafa Nadal, and now sets his sights on a third straight Wimbledon crown and sixth Grand Slam overall.

Andy and JW break down what makes Alcaraz so dominant on this surface, with Andy offering insight into how players adapt from clay to grass.

Meanwhile, although Great Britain’s Jack Draper fell short of the Queen’s Club final, he reclaimed the No. 4 ranking by just 15 points, nudging past Taylor Fritz—who now sits at No. 5. Andy explains why that seemingly small shift could have major implications at Wimbledon, pun intended.

Injury setbacks have forced both Arthur Fils and Casper Ruud to withdraw from Wimbledon after each were forced to pull out from the French Open.

Fils is still recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back (L5 vertebra), which caused him to pull out of his third-round match against Andrey Rublev in Paris. The 21-year-old said he’s “stopping” now to avoid the risk of long-term recovery time.

Ruud continues to rehab a lingering knee injury and hasn’t returned to competition since Roland-Garros. His manager Tina Falster told local media that while Ruud is back training on court, “playing best-of-five sets is unfortunately a bit too soon,” and said his target return is the ATP event in Gstaad the week following Wimbledon.

Both players were projected to be seeded between 13–16 at The Championships and join a growing list of withdrawals from the men’s draw, including Sebastian Korda.

Andy weighs in on the injuries to Fils, Ruud, and Korda—and what their absences mean for the field.

As the tennis world prepares for the third Slam of the season, fans will soon flock to the grounds Andy calls “pure magic.”

Producer Mike is heading to Wimbledon for the first time, and Andy and JW came through with all the must-know tips and recommendations for a SW19 rookie. Andy lights up talking about the “perfect” setup at the All England Club, daydreams about his go-to sandwich shop in the village, and JW shares his favorite spots to catch a match.

Whether you're returning to Wimbledon or making your debut, you’ll want to hear what the insiders have to say.

Oh, and our Wimbledon Draw Show drops Friday.

Who's ready?!

Have You Checked Out The 5 Setter?

It’s our weekly racket sports rundown, where we bring you the top five headlines across tennis, padel, pickleball, and more.

• PADEL POSTPONMENT: The Intercontinental Cup—which planned to feature Team Europe vs. Team Americas in a new padel event—was postponed to 2026

• PADEL’S OLYMPIC PUSH: Premier Padel and the International Padel Federation announced major tournament renewals and global expansion plans as part of their push to make padel an Olympic sport 

• PICKLEBALL’S OLYMPIC BID: The International Pickleball Federation and World Pickleball Federation have merged into a single IOC‑aligned governing body, aiming to bolster their bid for Olympic inclusion by 2032

• SUPER BOWL SLAM: NFL great Donald Driver hosted and played in his Pickleball Classic near Green Bay, Wisconsin, raising funds for the local Boys & Girls Club. A co-owner of Pickleball Kingdom, Driver continues to champion the sport while giving back to his community

79% of you said ‘yes’ it’s long overdue. Time will tell if we see it on the tennis calendar.