Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper have both been handed huge blows ahead of Wimbledon this year.
Raducanu reached the Queen’s final in her first grass court tournament of the season, but has not competed since then.
Concerns continue to arise surrounding Raducanu, who missed training at Wimbledon as she reportedly deals with a shin injury.
Things have only gone from bad to worse for Raducanu, as both she and Draper have been handed difficult draws for Wimbledon this year.
Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper given tough draws for Wimbledon
Raducanu will play world number 60 Antonia Ruzic in her first round match at Wimbledon this year.
While this may not seem too difficult on paper, Raducanu did lose to Ruzic in Dubai earlier this year and it is the following matches that strike concern for the 2021 US Open champion.
If Raducanu is able to beat Ruzic in the first round, she could face a potential second round meeting with Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko, who is playing another Briton in Harriet Dart in the first round.
As the 30th seed, Raducanu knew that she would be drawn to play a top eight ranked player in the third round and it is world number one Aryna Sabalenka who could await her there.
Sabalenka also beat Raducanu at Wimbledon last year, and with a potential injury it is not a good sign for the British number one.
British number two Katie Boulter has been handed a slightly kinder draw, as she will face Italian qualifier Tyra Caterina Grant in the first round.
The first seeded player Boulter could play at Wimbledon this year is Nottingham Open champion Marie Bouzkova, who she is scheduled to meet in the second round.
There are also three British teenagers in the main draw at Wimbledon this year, with Mika Stojsavljevic (17), Mimi Xu (18) and Hannah Klugman (17) all seeking their first wins at The Championships.
However, they have all been given challenging draws, particularly for Klugman who will face 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
- Emma Raducanu (30) vs Antonia Ruzic
- Katie Boulter vs Tyra Caterina Grant (Q)
- Fran Jones vs Diane Parry
- Harriet Dart (WC) vs Jelena Ostapenko
- Katie Swan (WC) vs Irina-Camelia Begu
- Alicia Dudeney (WC) vs Alycia Parks
- Mika Stojsavljevic (WC) vs Belinda Bencic (11)
- Mimi Xu (WC) vs Daria Kasatkina
- Hannah Klugman (WC) vs Barbora Krejcikova
Cameron Norrie and Draper are the two standout British names in the men’s singles draw, but they face very different draws in the first round.
For Norrie, who is the 26th seed, he will play against qualifier Michael Zheng in the first round, with the young American making his main draw debut at Wimbledon this year.
While for Draper, who recently returned to the ATP Tour from a knee injury, he will play against sixth seed and last year’s semi-finalist Taylor Fritz.
This will be a sixth meeting between the two players, with Draper leading the head-to-head against Fritz 3-2, including winning their only previous meeting on grass at Queen’s in 2022.
Some of the other more eye-catching first round matches for British players include qualifiers Billy Harris and Oliver Tarvet facing former top 10 player Karen Khachanov and 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech, respectively.
Wildcards Toby Samuel, Jack Pinnington Jones and Felix Gill will also have seeded first round opponents, as they take on Jakub Mensik, Brandon Nakashima and Rafael Jodar, respectively.
- Cameron Norrie (26) vs Michael Zheng (Q)
- Jack Draper vs Taylor Fritz (6)
- Jan Choinski vs Vit Kopriva
- Arthur Fery (WC) vs Damir Dzmuhur
- Billy Harris (Q) vs Karen Khachanov (19)
- Toby Samuel (WC) vs Jakub Mensik (15)
- Jack Pinnington Jones (WC) vs Brandon Nakashima (28)
- Jacob Fearnley (WC) vs Alex Michelsen
- Harry Wendelken (WC) vs Valentin Royer
- Felix Gill (WC) vs Rafael Jodar (23)
- Max Basing (Q) vs Shintaro Mochizuki (Q)
- Oliver Tarvet (Q) vs Arthur Rinderknech (25)
Now that the draw is out, which British player do you think will do the best at Wimbledon?
Who are the last British players to win singles titles at Wimbledon?
Wimbledon is the pinnacle for British tennis players, who will be hoping to get their hands on their home Grand Slam title.
However, home champions at SW19 have been hard to come by in years gone by, with only Andy Murray lifting the Wimbledon title.
Murray became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title in 76 years in 2013, and he won a second title at the grass court major in 2016.
No player has been able to replicate Murray since then, with Norrie getting the closest to doing so after reaching the semi-finals in 2022.
The wait continues for another British women’s singles champion at Wimbledon, with the last coming when Virginia Wade won the title in 1977.
No British woman has returned to the Wimbledon final since then, with Jo Konta most recently getting the closest to doing so after reaching the semi-finals in 2017.
The main draw of Wimbledon in 2026 will get underway on Monday, June 29, as British hopefuls look to make history at their home Grand Slam tournament.
