Latest news with #LTA
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Jack Draper on collision course with Djokovic and Sinner in tough Wimbledon draw
The 23-year-old goes into the tournament as a genuine title contender for the first time after climbing to fourth in the world rankings and will take on Argentinian Sebastian Baez in the opening round. But from there things are set to get significantly tougher with former finalist Marin Cilic a likely second-round opponent and Alexander Bublik, the player he lost to in the fourth round of the French Open and who won the big grass-court warm-up event in Halle last weekend, his first scheduled seeded rival in the third round. Not long until the gates open 🕒#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2025 Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has made the final in every edition since 2017, could be waiting in the quarter-finals, with world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in the bottom half of the draw and will open the tournament on Centre Court on Monday against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini. Emma Raducanu will take on 17-year-old wild card Mimi Xu, one of three home teenage debutants, in an eye-catching opening round. The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section. ✨ The opening round draw for the Brits at @Wimbledon in full: Jack Draper vs Sebastian BaezJacob Fearnley vs Joao FonsecaCam Norrie vs Roberto Bautista AgutBilly Harris vs Hubert HurkaczDan Evans vs Jay ClarkeJack Pinnington Jones vs Tomás Martín EtcheverryHenry Searle… — LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2025 It was a nightmare draw for the leading British women, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko. Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger. The bottom quarter of the women's event could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff, having dropped to eighth in the rankings. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time. There is also an all-British contest in the first round of the men's draw, with veteran Dan Evans facing fellow wild card Jay Clarke. The winner of that is likely to get a shot at Djokovic while 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet, who came through qualifying to make it 23 British players in the main singles draws, has the carrot of a second-round meeting with Alcaraz if he can beat Leandro Riedi. British number two Jacob Fearnley will try to get a first win against hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie takes on veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, who performed strongly at Queen's Club. Hull's Johannus Monday was given the toughest draw of the British debutants on the men's side against 13th seed Tommy Paul, while Jack Pinnington Jones will take on Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry and Oliver Crawford faces Mattia Bellucci of Italy.
Leader Live
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Frances Tiafoe backs efforts to expand grassroots tennis in UK
Lack of access to facilities has typically led to far smaller participation levels than in more popular sports in Britain and, though an LTA report in 2024 revealed that around 3.6million UK children play at least once a year, barriers remain to its regular uptake amongst young people, both in Britain and abroad. Much of that is down to the expense of equipment and limited access to properly maintained courts and coaching, in practice fencing the game off from some demographics. Current world number 12 Tiafoe, whose family immigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone during the 90s, cites his early introduction to the game as an outlier. Had his father not worked as janitor at a tennis centre in Tiafoe's hometown Maryland, he believes he would never have taken up a game which was seen as off limits to people from less affluent backgrounds. 'You give a chance to people in inner cities, people who wouldn't be able to do a particular sport,' said Tiafoe, who was speaking at an event in London to mark one year of Barclays Free Park tennis scheme, which provides facilities and coaching with the aim of removing barriers between children and grassroots sport. 'In America, that's why everyone's so quick to play basketball. All you need is a ball and a hoop. Same as (football) over here (in the UK).' A morning at the Draw 🧮#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2025 He believes that initiatives like Free Park Tennis – billed as the sport's answer to Park Run and which provides for free the coaches and equipment many would otherwise be unable to afford – will provide the stimulus in the UK for barriers to fall away. 'Tennis you need rackets and strings and shoes, it becomes very upper echelon,' he said. 'This way everyone will be able to it. That's what means a lot to me.' Tiafoe, a two-time US Open semi-finalist in 2022 and 2024, will be aiming to improve upon his Wimbledon record – where he has never progressed beyond the fourth round – when play begins on Monday. The 27-year-old is drawn to face the Dane Elmer Moller in the first round with a possible second-round meeting with Brit Cameron Norrie. He believes that more players from his background will in future feel they can follow in his footsteps, with the UK leading the way in breaking down barriers. 'There'd be three or four of me sitting here if we had these schemes (in the US),' he said. 'That's why I'm so passionate about these type of things.' BBC Sport presenter Ian Wight, also speaking at the event, said his own experience of growing up on a council estate in south London pushed him and his peers towards football because sports like tennis appeared closed off. 'When we were younger, you go the tennis court where I lived in Brockley, it was always empty,' he said. 'I didn't see anybody on there – white, black, nobody. 'There were people who played football with us just because it's easy to get a football and all of you can play. I'm sure some of those guys, if they had the facilities from this kind of initiative, they would have done it. '
The National
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
Draper on collision course with Djokovic & Sinner in Wimbledon draw
The 23-year-old goes into the tournament as a genuine title contender for the first time after climbing to fourth in the world rankings and will take on Argentinian Sebastian Baez in the opening round. But from there things are set to get significantly tougher with former finalist Marin Cilic a likely second-round opponent and Alexander Bublik, the player he lost to in the fourth round of the French Open and who won the big grass-court warm-up event in Halle last weekend, his first scheduled seeded rival in the third round. Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has made the final in every edition since 2017, could be waiting in the quarter-finals, with world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in the bottom half of the draw and will open the tournament on Centre Court on Monday against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini. Emma Raducanu will take on 17-year-old wild card Mimi Xu, one of three home teenage debutants, in an eye-catching opening round. The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section. ✨ The opening round draw for the Brits at @Wimbledon in full: Jack Draper vs Sebastian BaezJacob Fearnley vs Joao FonsecaCam Norrie vs Roberto Bautista AgutBilly Harris vs Hubert HurkaczDan Evans vs Jay ClarkeJack Pinnington Jones vs Tomás Martín EtcheverryHenry Searle… — LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2025 It was a nightmare draw for the leading British women, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko. Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger. The bottom quarter of the women's event could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff, having dropped to eighth in the rankings. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time. Mimi Xu will face Emma Raducanu (Bradley Collyer/PA) There is also an all-British contest in the first round of the men's draw, with veteran Dan Evans facing fellow wild card Jay Clarke. The winner of that is likely to get a shot at Djokovic while 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet, who came through qualifying to make it 23 British players in the main singles draws, has the carrot of a second-round meeting with Alcaraz if he can beat Leandro Riedi. British number two Jacob Fearnley will try to get a first win against hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie takes on veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, who performed strongly at Queen's Club. Hull's Johannus Monday was given the toughest draw of the British debutants on the men's side against 13th seed Tommy Paul, while Jack Pinnington Jones will take on Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry and Oliver Crawford faces Mattia Bellucci of Italy.
The Herald Scotland
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Draper on collision course with Djokovic & Sinner in Wimbledon draw
But from there things are set to get significantly tougher with former finalist Marin Cilic a likely second-round opponent and Alexander Bublik, the player he lost to in the fourth round of the French Open and who won the big grass-court warm-up event in Halle last weekend, his first scheduled seeded rival in the third round. Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has made the final in every edition since 2017, could be waiting in the quarter-finals, with world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in the bottom half of the draw and will open the tournament on Centre Court on Monday against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini. Emma Raducanu will take on 17-year-old wild card Mimi Xu, one of three home teenage debutants, in an eye-catching opening round. The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section. ✨ The opening round draw for the Brits at @Wimbledon in full: Jack Draper vs Sebastian BaezJacob Fearnley vs Joao FonsecaCam Norrie vs Roberto Bautista AgutBilly Harris vs Hubert HurkaczDan Evans vs Jay ClarkeJack Pinnington Jones vs Tomás Martín EtcheverryHenry Searle… — LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2025 It was a nightmare draw for the leading British women, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko. Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger. The bottom quarter of the women's event could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff, having dropped to eighth in the rankings. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time. Mimi Xu will face Emma Raducanu (Bradley Collyer/PA) There is also an all-British contest in the first round of the men's draw, with veteran Dan Evans facing fellow wild card Jay Clarke. The winner of that is likely to get a shot at Djokovic while 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet, who came through qualifying to make it 23 British players in the main singles draws, has the carrot of a second-round meeting with Alcaraz if he can beat Leandro Riedi. British number two Jacob Fearnley will try to get a first win against hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie takes on veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, who performed strongly at Queen's Club. Hull's Johannus Monday was given the toughest draw of the British debutants on the men's side against 13th seed Tommy Paul, while Jack Pinnington Jones will take on Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry and Oliver Crawford faces Mattia Bellucci of Italy.
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Teenage sensation Mimi Xu insists she CAN beat British No 1 Emma Raducanu as the pair prepare to face off at Wimbledon
Mimi Xu, aged all of 17, will take to one of Wimbledon 's premier courts on Monday to play her childhood hero Emma Raducanu - and she will do so fully believing she can win. 'Recently I've been playing really well,' said Xu, the Welsh daughter of Chinese parents. 'My game really suits grass, I'm really confident in my game at the moment. So I'm gonna go out there, enjoy every moment, give it a good go. I believe I've got a good chance if I do all that.' Xu is right to be confident. She has had a fantastic few weeks, reaching the quarter-finals in Birmingham and recording a debut WTA Tour win in Nottingham. And Raducanu is still contending with the lingering effects of a back spasm. 'We were moving into an Airbnb this morning,' said Xu, 'and I get a message from my coach, 'What an exciting draw'. And then my mum's getting messages saying: 'That's so good, so exciting' - but none of them were saying the name. 'I'm like: 'Oh my gosh, what is the draw? Who am I playing?' Eventually someone told me I'm playing Emma. I feel like I'm really ready for it. I'm really excited for it.' For players of Xu's age - she is part of a golden generation, with 16-year-old colleagues Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavlevic also making their debuts this week - Raducanu's US Open title in 2021 made her a hero. 'I was at Loughborough (one of the LTA's high performance centres, where Xu trains and studies) when she was playing the US Open final, me and the other girls were huddled around the TV,' recalled Xu. 'S he's a really good role model to have. 'The first time I hit with her was probably three years ago and she was really nice. She's a lovely person.' Xu and Raducanu have more in common than prodigious tennis ability. Both have Chinese heritage - Raducanu through her mother's side, while Xu's parents are both from China - and both are top students. Xu did maths A Level last year - two years early - and will do economics next year; the same A Levels Raducanu did. Xu is also doing biology - she sat two exams the day after matches in Birmingham and Nottingham. In terms of A Levels, then, Xu will soon have Raducanu pipped by three to two. Can she also overcome her on the court?
