Emma Raducanu is set for an all-British match in the first round of Wimbledon 2025. She will play Mimi Xu, ranked 318 in the world, on the number one court in the final action of the afternoon.
The British number one and 2021 US Open winner is one of the biggest stars of women’s tennis and will draw plenty of eyeballs in this year’s tournament, especially against a British opponent.
For Xu, it’s a dream matchup in her Wimbledon debut, as the 17-year-old steps onto the big stage hoping to pull off a famous Wimbledon upset.
However, it seemed she was the last to know that she would be facing Raducanu in her first match of the tournament.
Mimi Xu admits she didn’t know she was playing Emma Raducanu
It seemed like all eyes in the tennis world were on the first round draw on Friday. Fans reacted to Jack Draper’s “nightmare” Wimbledon bracket, and you would have expected every player to be waiting with bated breath for their upcoming opponents to be announced.
But it turns out Xu didn’t. She was left scrambling to find out her opponent after her phone was flooded with messages.
“It was really funny, because I was moving into my Airbnb at 10:05 and then I get a message from my coach saying what an amazing draw – so exciting,” Xu told the BBC. “I’m like, ‘but I haven’t seen the draw!’
“My mum’s getting messages saying ‘such an exciting draw, such a good draw for her to really go out there and play”, and I’m like, ‘who am I playing?’”
Xu was forced to turn to social media to discover who her opponent would be. Eventually, the British number 10 saw the news.
“So I’m scrolling to find out who I’m playing, and I end up seeing I’m playing Emma.”
It was a bigger surprise to Xu than anybody else that she would be facing the British number one, Raducanu.
Mimi Xu praises role model Emma Raducanu
While the pair have never faced off in professional competition, Raducanu is a familiar opponent to Xu. They first met in 2022, as Xu explained:
“The first time I met her was like three years ago. I hit with her on the grass, and she was really nice, a really lovely person.
“I then actually went as a hitter for her in the Billie Jean King Finals last year in November, so I really got to know her then.”
Raducanu’s US Open win in 2021 was a breakthrough moment for British women’s tennis. She became the first female Brit to win a major championship since Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon triumph in 1977.
Raducanu is pairing with Carlos Alcaraz in the mixed doubles of the US Open later in the year, bringing British tennis into the limelight.
Xu credited her opponent for inspiring the next generation of tennis players in the UK.
“What she did in the US Open Final really inspired a lot of young girls, I think, so it’s really nice to have someone like her.”
But while Xu is happy to dish out niceties before the match, she’ll want nothing more than to get one over Raducanu in the opening round on Monday.