Emma Raducanu to begin Wimbledon against teenage Brit playing first ever Grand Slam

Emma Raducanu is part of an all-British match-up in the first round of Wimbledon. The former US Open champion will get her tournament going against Mimi Xu, a Welsh teenager playing in the main draw at SW19 for the very first time.

Xu, who is ranked 302 in the world, is one of a number of British prospects to earn a wild card for this year's women's singles. She entered qualifying for the 2024 edition, but failed to make the main draw.

Raducanu was a wild card entry herself last year after a long struggle with injuries. She was able to turn that into a fourth round run, stunning ninth seed Maria Sakkari in round three before falling to Lulu Sun.

British No.1 Katie Boulter has been handed a tough first round draw, with number nine seed Paola Badosa of Spain standing in her way. Another of the British wild cards, 16-year-old Hannah Klugman, will begin against Raducanu's 2021 US Open final opponent Leylah Fernandez.

If Raducanu is set to reach a second grand slam final of her career, she will have to do things the hard way. The draw sees her in line to face top seed Aryna Sabalenka in round three if this year's French Open finalist makes it through her first two matches.

READ MORE: Wimbledon 2025: 22 British hopefuls including Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper

READ MORE: Jack Draper's meteoric rise to Wimbledon hopeful - and how famous family backed him all the way

In the men's draw, British No.1 Jack Draper faces Sebastian Baez of Argentina in his opening round. Draper is seeded fourth for the tournament, but has never got beyond the second round.

There are also a handful of British wild cards looking to use the support of the home crowd to spur them to an upset. Among them is Johannus Monday, who goes up against the United States' Tommy Paul in round one, while there's also an all-British affair with Dan Evans taking on Jay Clarke.

Raducanu goes into the tournament off the back of an early exit in Eastbourne. She was beaten by Australia's Maya Joint, after which she admitted she had work to do going into Wimbledon.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t get over the line today but I can get some rest ahead of next week," the 22-year-old told the BBC. “I feel quite tired. Just going through some stuff and I need to do my best to get my head in the game ahead of next week.

“Realistically, the turnaround is pretty soon – it’s only four days away really that Wimbledon starts. I think I’m just going to start with [a day off] tomorrow and then hopefully I can get on the court on Friday.”

The first round of Wimbledon will begin on Monday, with men's and women's singles matches taking place. The British contingent has been boosted by 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet, who stunned two seeded players to make it through qualifying and set up a first round meeting with fellow qualifier Leandro Riedi.