The British teenage trio creating Wimbledon history

Wimbledon 2025

Venue: All England Club, June 30 – 13 .

Three British players will enter the women’s singles draw for the first time in Wimbledon history, aged 17 and under.

After demonstrating their potential over the past few years, Mika Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman, and Mimi Xu were given main-draw wildcard prizes.

Stojsavljevic, 16, has advanced most significantly since winning the US Open girls’ title last year.

Klugman, 16, made history by reaching the French Open girls’ final last month as the first Briton in almost 50 years.

The 17-year-old Xu has already defeated two top-100 opponents on the grass this year, ranking just outside the top 300.

The trio are now focusing on their Wimbledon senior debuts after getting their GCSE and A-Level exams finished.

“We’ve known for a long time that this is a good three-ball on the girls’ side,” Iain Bates, the LTA’s head of women’s tennis, told BBB Sport.

“All three players have different paths to the top of the game. However, their progress indicates that they are a formidable force right now.

6’8″ tall Stojsavljevic, who was born in west London to a Polish and Serb father, is a big server and clean ball-striker with a similar style to Maria Sharapova’s from a young age.

With her US Open victory, she won the only British woman to ever win a Slam title, and she is the youngest woman to do so since Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova from Russia in 2006.

The English teenager has since won the British national title, defeating Klugman in the final, and advanced to the ranks of Queen’s and Nottingham’s professional circuit.

Stojsavljevic’s talent has been nurtured while she is pursuing her GCSEs at LTA’s National Academy in Loughborough.

Klugman, who turned 16 in February, has been hailed as a promising prospect for a while.

The Englishman emulated Coco Gauff, Chris Evert, and Caroline Wozniacki when she won the prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships in Florida in 2023.

Klugman chose to remain at home in Wimbledon rather than enroll in the LTA’s academy than Stojsavljevic and Xu.

She practices at the National Tennis Centre alongside Reed’s School’s Ben Haran, who is a former assistant to Jack Draper and Tim Henman.

Her two-months of clay preparation, including time spent at Rafael Nadal’s academy, helped her reach the Roland Garros final, but her solidity and touch on the net work well on the grass.

Xu is the trio’s senior member with the most experience, and he is already ranked 302nd worldwide.

The Welsh teenager joined national coach Katie O’Brien and Nigel Sears, who coached Emma Raducanu during her Wimbledon fourth-round run in 2021.

She also gained a boost from being invited to the British team’s BJK Cup practice match in November.

Alycia Parks, the world number 52, shocked American top seed Xu on her way to the Birmingham quarter-finals earlier this month, giving her career-best win.

For all three players, making their senior Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon is a significant achievement.

Following a discussion between the LTA and the All England Club about which players merit wildcards, they were given spots.

The trio will also receive at least £66, 000 in prize money to reinvest in their careers in addition to the valuable experience.

You would think that all of them are prepared for the opportunity to play if you looked at their profiles separately, “said Bates.”

I hope and anticipate that they will hold more Wimbledons, as I told them all.

“The first one is about competing against some of the world’s best,” they said.

I believe this is the ideal opportunity and moment for them.

Teenager players are limited to the number of tournaments they can register for and what level before turning 16; this includes.

Up to 12 tournaments can be entered into by players who are 16 under the rules. That grows once more when they reach the age of 17.

Bates added that “success in junior tennis is undoubtedly a strong indicator of long-term potential,” but it is not a guarantee.

Working through each stage of the professional tour, getting the support and encouragement they can, is what this group of three is really trying to do.