With the conclusion of the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open where Casper Ruud and Aryna Sabalenka were crowned the singles champions, we are at the four-month mark in an eleven month tennis season.
We have seen the winter hardcourt season come and go, and are in the thick of the European clay court swing, and the common theme underscoring all has been unexpected results.
Here are a few examples of the things that have happened that no one would reasonably anticipate.
Winning streaks are blown
Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Carlos Alcaraz's winning streaks were snapped this year. Sabalenka was defeated by Madison Keys in pursuit of her third consecutive Australian Open. Swiatek was stymied from a four-peat at Doha, and Carlos Alcaraz lost while vying for a three-peat at Indian Wells.
New champions were crowned
With blown winning streaks came the crowning of new champions: Mirra Andreeva at Dubai and Indian Wells, Amanda Anisimova at Doha, Jelena Ostapenko at Stuttgart, Jack Draper at Indian Wells, and Jakub Mensik at Miami.
Top ranked players sometimes played fewer matches in a tournament with the first-round bye, but they ended up losing to lower ranked players required to play extra.
Suspensions were levied
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner served a three-month suspension and is making his return to this week's Italian Open. Max Purcell is serving 18 months for receiving more than the sanctioned amount of intravenous infusions in two incidents in December 2023.
Everyone inside and outside of the sport agrees that tennis needs to make the adjudication of doping cases fair and streamlined. Doping penalties should not be levied against players who are accidentally contaminated. Intent should be part of the decision-making when punishment is allocated.
Playing Challenger events is hip
Big name players are swallowing their pride and past success by playing 125-level Challenger events that traditionally were competing grounds for players outside the Top 100.
Naomi Osaka won a clay-court Challenger event over the weekend. The former World No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion continues to find her footing after her 2023 maternity leave. 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka is also playing Challenger events to get more court time as he has no intention of retiring.
Venus Williams might have retired
Speaking of 40-something tennis players, there is a rumor that Venus Williams has retired. She hasn't played in over a year, and her status is inactive on the WTA site. Some outlets reported that she called it a career, and Jim Courier mentioned it on the air on Tennis Channel. However, we have not officially heard the news from Venus or any reputable outlet.
Novak Djokovic is struggling
Novak Djokovic looked amazing in the Paris 2024 Olympics when he won the gold medal. Since then, he has struggled, especially in 2025, when he has been out in the first round in most tournaments. He is the greatest of all time, and fans want to see him play, which is one reason why everyone was shocked and disappointed that he withdrew from the Italian Open, an event he always plays to warm up for Roland Garros.
Teenagers are taking over
The teen sensation has hit tennis en masse with breakout stars Joao Fonseca, Learner Tien, Mirra Andreeva, and Alexandra Eala gaining notoriety and fan support this season.
The game is in good hands with the next generation of stars knocking on the door of success at an early age.