It’s every young tennis player’s dream to be good enough to one day play in the Wimbledon main draw against the best in the world.
For three British teenagers, that’s exactly what’s about to happen.
Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic, both 16, and 17-year-old Mimi Xu have all been rewarded for their exceptional results with Wimbledon wildcards.
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Xu is going to have the full-blown Wimbledon experience. She’s drawn just about the most high-profile match of the first round, an all-British encounter against Emma Raducanu.
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Big court, big crowds – it couldn’t really have been any bigger in terms of profile, but it seems she was the last to know.
“I was moving to my Airbnb this morning and I got a text from my coach saying it’s a great draw… and everyone was texting my mum… and I’m like ‘who am I playing… what’s going on?’ And eventually I get to know it’s Emma Raducanu.”
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Xu, from Swansea, has already left junior tennis behind and has started playing on the main tour with some good results, including wins over top 100 players. She says she’s confident in her game, has practised with Emma a few times and is just going to try to “embrace every moment”.
“It doesn’t come around very often, this won’t happen a lot in my lifetime, so I’m just ready to go out and enjoy it… enjoy every moment. I’ll probably get the full 10 years of Wimbledon experience in one day, so yeah… I’m ready for it!”
Klugman, who is a local and lives walking distance from the All England Club, will still contest the girls’ title this year and has just reached the final of the French Open Juniors.
Still, it’s a massive step up to play in the main draw and she’s been taking advice from someone who knows a fair bit about playing with the pressure of being a Brit at Wimbledon.
“Tim Henman spoke to me and basically said: ‘What is the worst that can happen? You lose, that’s literally it… just enjoy it’. It’s not going to change me, it’s just a little stepping stone.”
Klugman has drawn Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, the 29th seed, who lost in the final of the US Open to Emma Raducanu.
She has been a hitting partner for her before, but there will be nerves. “Obviously, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some nerves, but I think you know I embrace it, I love these opportunities, I love the pressure. No matter what happens… I’m going to go for it!”
Mika Stojsavljevic, from Ealing in west London, is the reigning US Open Girls’ champion. She will also play the junior event here, but is excited to take her place in her home grand slam.
For these teenagers, it’s like a free hit. They’re not expected to win, but they are expected to soak up the experience.
And for their parents, it’s also special. “I remember FaceTiming my mum after I found out [about the wildcard], she just couldn’t believe it. She just said, no you didn’t… and I said ‘yeah, I did’ – really excited.”
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She will be up against the 31st seed, Ashlyn Krueger, and she’s ready for it.
“I love playing personally on bigger courts at bigger occasions, I think it makes me rise to the challenge and play even better. So hopefully that will be the case here as well.”
There are 23 British players lining up at Wimbledon this year, and these three junior stars have brought down the average age as well as making a little bit of British tennis history.
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