From Boulter and Burrage to Draper's title tilt – the 23 Britons at Wimbledon

Independent

6 hours ago

The biggest fortnight of the year for British tennis will see 22 home hopefuls try their luck in the Wimbledon main singles draws, the highest number since 1988.
Jack Draper goes into the tournament as a legitimate title challenger for the first time while the remainder range from teenage debutants to veterans potentially taking their final shot at SW19.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the home contenders.
Katie Boulter, 28, world ranked 43
Boulter is unseeded this year after an up and down start to the year with injuries and form but has played some of her best tennis at Wimbledon.
Jodie Burrage, 26, WR 154 Burrage missed much of last season, including the grass-court swing, with injury and is still trying to kick-start her comeback.
Jay Clarke, 26, WR 196 A first main draw appearance in three years for Clarke, who reached the second round in 2019 and played Roger Federer.
Oliver Crawford, 26, WR 248 It will be a grand-slam main-draw debut for Crawford, who switched nationality from American to British at the beginning of 2024.
Jack Draper, 23, WR 4
The 23-year-old has rocketed up the rankings over the past year and a top-four seeding means he will avoid Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals.
Harriet Dart, 28, WR 152 Dart has made it to the third round of Wimbledon twice before, including last year, when she won a tense clash against Boulter. This season has been a struggle.
Dan Evans, 35, WR 154 The former British number one will make a 10th main-draw appearance. He needed a wild card after slipping down the rankings but has shown encouraging form.
Jacob Fearnley, 23, WR 51 The Scot's incredible rise as a professional began on grass last year and has continued apace. Fearnley took a set off Novak Djokovic 12 months ago.
Arthur Fery, 22, WR 461
Fery, who has French parents but grew up in London, has seen his progress stall because of injury. This will be his third Wimbledon appearance.
Billy Harris, 30, WR 151 An inspiring story of perseverance, Harris made his Wimbledon debut last year as a wild card and is into the main draw of a grand slam on ranking for the first time.
Fran Jones, 24, WR 122 A strong season so far for Jones, who is missing several fingers and toes because of a rare genetic condition but is close to breaking into the top 100 for the first time.
Sonay Kartal, 23, WR 51 Kartal has made huge strides since reaching the third round of Wimbledon as a qualifier last summer, including winning a first WTA Tour title.
Hannah Klugman, 16, WR 573
A first wild card into the women's singles for the precocious Wimbledon resident, who recently reached the girls' singles final at the French Open.
George Loffhagen, 24, WR 293 A former leading junior, Loffhagen made his main draw debut two years ago and has been rewarded for good form on the lower tours with a wild card.
Johannus Monday, 23, WR 224 A 6ft 6in left-hander from Hull, Monday will make his grand-slam debut after starring on the US college circuit and making a strong start to his professional career.
Cameron Norrie, 29, WR 61 Clay revitalised the fortunes of former British number one Norrie, who defeated Draper at Wimbledon last year and is a former semi-finalist.
Jack Pinnington Jones, 22, WR 281
A former top junior, Pinnington Jones followed Norrie and Fearnley in attending Texas Christian University. Reached the final of a second-tier event in Ilkley this month.
Emma Raducanu, 22, WR 40 Back at British number one following an encouraging few months, Raducanu is very at home on grass but has been handed an extremely tough draw.
Henry Searle, 19, WR 421 Big-serving Searle became the first home champion of the boys' singles at Wimbledon in more than 60 years in 2023 and made his senior debut last year.
Mika Stojsavljevic, 16, WR 796 The tall, big-striking teenager emphasised her potential by winning the US Open girls' singles title last year and is a major prospect.
Oliver Tarvet, 21, WR 733
A big breakthrough for the San Diego University student, who came through qualifying to set up a Wimbledon debut.
Heather Watson, 33, WR 143 A wild card means Watson will appear in the main draw at Wimbledon for a 15th straight edition. Results have been hard to come by but she loves playing on grass.
Mimi Xu, 17, WR 318 The last of a trio of British teenage girls given wild cards, Welsh player Xu has twice beaten top-100 players on grass already this summer.