Wimbledon is heating up on and off the court as the tournament comes to a close this weekend.
The third of the four Grand Slams in the tennis calendar has gripped crowds in SW19 for the past two weeks, with only four players in the men and women’s singles category remaining.
America’s Amanda Anisimova faces Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the women’s final on Saturday, which is due to start at 4pm.
Whoever wins, it will be the ninth year in a row that a different woman will lift the Venus Rosewater Dish, and for the eighth consecutive year, the champion will never have held the trophy before.
On Sunday, it is the turn of the men, with the top two players in the tennis world – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – once again going head-to-head for a Grand Slam title.
The only previous meeting between Sinner and Alcaraz on the Wimbledon grass courts came in the round of 16 stage in 2022, where the Italian claimed victory over the Spaniard.
It will be the first time the same players have met in the Wimbledon final after playing for the French Open title since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did so every year from 2006-2008.
While competition will be hot on the court, spectators for this weekend’s finals will also have to battle the heat as the UK is in the middle of a heatwave.
Temperatures were forecast to peak at around 30C on Saturday, while on Sunday, spectators can expect highs of 29C.
What we know about the final four
If you are planning to tune into the matches this weekend, but want a quick round-up of who the players are, how they match up and their past achievements, scroll through our explainer below.
Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry
Alcaraz and Sinner have already clashed on some of the biggest stages in tennis, cementing their rivalry on the court, which echoes that over the years between the “Big Four'” – Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Recently, Alcaraz has been the one to break Sinner’s lengthy winning streaks, first in Rome earlier this year, and then again in Paris.
The two best players in the world came face-to-face for the first time in a Grand Slam final in Paris.
After a gruelling (and record-breaking) five hours and 29 minutes match, it was Carlos Alcaraz who took the upper-hand over Jannik Sinner.
Here is how the two compare going into Wimbledon:
Carlos Alcaraz
• Ranked No 2 by the ATP
• 5 Grand Slam titles
• Best Wimbledon performance: Winner 2023 & 2024
• One win away from completing a career slam
• Banked an estimated £33m in prize money
• Has won eight previous matches against Sinner
Jannik Sinner
• Ranked No 1 by the ATP
• 3 Grand Slam titles
• Best Wimbledon performance: SF 2023
• Halfway towards a career slam
• Banked an estimated £30.6m in prize money
• Has won four previous matches against Alcaraz
But the Italian remains in the top spot of the ATP Tour rankings, with 10,430 points compared to his Spanish counterpart’s 9,300.
“For the sport, it’s something amazing to have these players after Roger and Rafa – and Novak is still playing, of course – but this kind of rivalry that they have,” Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s coach and former world number one, said after the French Open final in June.
“Having these two guys fighting for big trophies, I think we have to be very happy about it in the sport of tennis. They know they have to play unbelievable tennis to beat the other guy.”
How much money do the winners get?
The prize money for Wimbledon 2025 is a record £53,500,000.
Both the women’s and men’s singles champions will bag £3m.
Runners-up will net £1.52m while semi-finalists have already bagged £775k.
For doubles, winners will receive £680k (per pair), with the runners-up getting £345k.
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A royal appearance
The Princess of Wales is attending the women’s singles final.
Kate, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, will present the trophy on Centre Court.
Last year, the royal presented the Wimbledon men’s final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz. Her appearance – with her daughter Princess Charlotte – was only her second public engagement after announcing she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Kate did not however attend the women’s final last year when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini.
It is unknown if she will also attend the men’s final again this year.
