Jack Draper to begin Wimbledon title tilt against world No 38 Sebastian Baez with Emma Raducanu to face face 17-year-old Welsh wildcard Mimi Xu

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  • The 2025 edition of Wimbledon starts on Monday at the All England Club
  • Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu are the major hopes for the home crowd  

By MATTHEW LAMBWELL

Published: 11:48 BST, 27 June 2025 | Updated: 11:48 BST, 27 June 2025

Jack Draper’s tilt at the Wimbledon title will begin against world No 38 Sebastian Baez on Tuesday - but there are dangers ahead in his draw.

After what is on paper a gentle start against a 5ft 7in Argentine who is far more dangerous on clay, No 4 seed Draper could face 36-year-old former finalist Marin Cilic and then the trouble begins in round three, where he would expect to face Alexander Bublik - the man who knocked him out of the French Open.

A prospective fourth-round opponent is 19-year-old Czech talent Jakub Mensik and in the quarter-finals lurks Novak Djokovic.

Draper was drawn in the same half as his close friend and No1 seed Jannik Sinner, but they cannot meet until the semi-finals.

British No2 Jacob Fearnley continued his run of eye-catching draws by being pulled out of the hat next to 18-year-old Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca - a repeat of their first-round in Indian Wells, which the boy from Rio won.

There was one all-British tie, with Dan Evans facing fellow wildcard Jay Clarke.

Jack Draper ’s tilt at the Wimbledon title will begin against world No 38 Sebastian Baez

Emma Raducanu will face 17-year-old Welsh wildcard Mimi Xu in the first round

WHO DO THE BRITISH MEN PLAY?

Jack Draper v Sebastian Baez (Arg)

Jacob Fearnley v Joao Fonseca (Br)

Cam Norrie v Roberto Bautista Agut

Billy Harris v Hubert Hurkacz (Pol)

Dan Evans v Jay Clarke

Jack Pinnington Jones v Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Arg)

Henry Searle v Ethan Quinn (USA)

Johannus Monday v Tommy Paul (USA, 13th seed)

George Loffhagen v Pedro Martinez

Oliver Crawford v Mattia Bellucci (It)

Arthur Fery v Alexei Popyrin (Aus, 20th seed)

Oliver Tarvet v Leandro Riedi

Meanwhile, in the women's Emma Raducanu will face 17-year-old Welsh wildcard Mimi Xu in the first round of Wimbledon.

Like the British No1, Xu is of Chinese heritage - her parents met as students at Swansea University - and is a top student as well as a top tennis talent. Xu sat her maths A Level two years early and will do economics next year - the same two A Levels as Raducanu - and she sat her biology papers around her matches over the last month.

The younger woman is a very different player though, 6ft 1in and able to generate huge power from her strong frame.

Swansea’s Xu has had a fantastic few weeks, reaching the quarter-finals in Birmingham and recording a debut WTA Tour win in Nottingham.

Raducanu comes in nursing back trouble, the aftershocks of a spasm suffered in Strasbourg in May. 

She would expect to get past Xu but in her next round would play either 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova or Nottingham champion McCartney Kessler. In the third round she could face world No1 Aryna Sabalenka.

WHO HAVE THE BRIT WOMEN GOT? 

Emma Raducanu v Mimi Xu

Katie Boulter v Paula Badosa (Sp, 9th seed)

Sonay Kartal v Jelena Ostapenko (Lat, 20th seed)

Francesca Jones v Yuliia Starodubtseva (Ukr)

Harriet Dart v Dalma Galfi (Hun)

Heather Watson v Clara Tauson (Den, 23rd seed)

Jodie Burrage v Caty McNally (USA)

Hannah Klugman v Leylah Fernandez (Can, 29th seed)

Mika Stojsavlevic v Ashlyn Krueger (USA, 31st seed)

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