Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek have both enjoyed stellar tournaments recently, rediscovering the form that saw them win multiple Grand Slam titles.
Travelling to London, expectations weren’t too high for Swiatek, who had been past the fourth round of Wimbledon just once before in her tennis career.
Shocking the world, Swiatek won her maiden Wimbledon title in 2025, dropping just two games across her final two matches.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
A month later, it was Osaka’s turn to make headlines, as she picked up several impressive wins in Montreal.
Defeating Ariana Arsenault, Liudmila Samsonova, Jelena Ostapenko, Anastasija Sevastova, Elina Svitolina, and Clara Tauson, Osaka booked her place in the final of the 2025 Canadian Open.
At various points in the year, both Swiatek and Osaka looked down and out, as their remarkable comebacks have proven just how incredible tennis is.
Naomi Osaka and Swiatek prove how unpredictable tennis is with their 2025 turnarounds
By her lofty standards, Swiatek had a poor start to her 2025 campaign, failing to pick up a title at any of the first 11 tournaments she played.
TournamentTierSurfacePerformanceUnited CupUnited CupHardLost in F to Coco Gauff/Team USAAustralian OpenGrand SlamHardLost in SF to Madison KeysQatar OpenWTA 1000HardLost in SF to Jelena OstapenkoDubai Tennis ChampionshipsWTA 1000HardLost in QF to Mirra AndreevaIndian WellsWTA 1000HardLost in SF to Mirra AndreevaMiami OpenWTA 1000HardLost in QF to Alexandra EalaPorsche Tennis Grand PrixWTA 500ClayLost in QF to Jelena OstapenkoMadrid Open WTA 1000ClayLost in SF to Coco GauffItalian OpenWTA 1000ClayLost in 3R to Danielle CollinsFrench OpenGrand SlamClayLost in SF to Aryna SabalenkaBad Homburg OpenWTA 500GrassLost in F to Jessica PegulaIga Swiatek’s pre-Wimbledon form in 2025
When the three-time defending champion dropped her French Open crown in June, many questioned whether Swiatek would ever return to the top of the women’s game.
Falling to her lowest ranking in years, Swiatek looked to be in freefall, until she suddenly stepped into gear at the All England Club.
Playing the best grass-court tennis of her career, Swiatek won Wimbledon, taking her Grand Slam tally to six, returning to world number three shortly after.
Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images
Proving all of the doubters wrong, Swiatek proved she is here to stay, as she moved one step closer to completing the Career Grand Slam.
Swiatek isn’t the only former major champion to have proved the doubters wrong in 2025, as Osaka has done the same in Montreal.
The Japanese star began her year with a strong run to the final in Auckland, but failed to maintain any consistency.
Four-times a Grand Slam champion, Osaka showed no signs of adding a fifth to her tally, as some began to question whether she would consider an early retirement.
However, not prepared to give up that easily, Osaka replaced coach Patrick Mouratoglou with Tomasz Wiktorowski, a decision that paid off quicker than anyone expected.
Osaka qualified for her first WTA 1000 final in three years at the Canadian Open and guaranteed herself a seed for the US Open later this month.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Seemingly out of nowhere, Osaka has announced herself as a contender for the final Grand Slam of the year, where she is a two-time champion (2018, 2020).
The turnarounds of Osaka and Swiatek in 2025 have once again proven that tennis is perhaps the most unpredictable sport in the world.
From one week to the next, a player can go from zero to hero and vice versa.
Fans and pundits can be quick to call time on a player’s stint at the top, although it’s dangerous to count anyone out on the WTA Tour.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see if any other faltering WTA stars can turn their seasons around before the end of the year.
The American WTA star who could still turn her season around
World number 11 Emma Navarro hasn’t had a bad season by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s fair to say she would’ve expected more from her 2025 campaign.
The American star reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the semifinals of the US Open last time around, and looked primed and ready to make a push towards the top five in the new year.
That hasn’t quite transpired so far in 2025, as Navarro remains over 1,000 points off the top five.
She will have to defend a large chunk of points in New York, thanks to her US Open exploits 12 months ago, but certainly has the talent to do just that.
If she can, then Navarro will set her sights on making an impact at the final two WTA 1000 events of the year, looking to finish her campaign on a high.
As Osaka and Swiatek have proven in 2025, it really doesn’t take long to turn form around…