Emma Raducanu faces a tough Wimbledon draw, with six Grand Slam winners possibly waiting for her.
Emma Raducanu faces some tough matches on her way to the later rounds of the women’s singles at Wimbledon, including a possible third-round match against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Emma, the current British number one in singles, is coming into Wimbledon in good shape after reaching the final at Queen’s Club earlier this month. That was her second final this year on the WTA Tour, and importantly, her first ever final on grass.
She lost in straight sets to Croatia’s Donna Vekic, who made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals two years ago. Since winning the US Open in 2021, Raducanu hasn’t gone past the fourth round at Wimbledon yet, but she hopes her recent good form will help her do better this year.
Reports say Emma is dealing with a shin injury and missed practice on Thursday, but she was still seeded for the main draw announced Friday. In the first round, she will play against Croatia’s number one, Antonia Ruzic, in section one. If she wins, her second-round opponent could be 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko or British wildcard Harriet Dart.
The challenge grows tougher in round three, where she might meet Sabalenka. Raducanu lost to Sabalenka in straight sets at Wimbledon last year but gave her a strong fight. She might feel more confident if they meet again this time.
If Emma gets through those rounds, she could face Leylah Fernandez, who she played against in the 2021 US Open final, or four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
Other big names in the draw include the reigning French Open champ Mirra Andreeva in section two, plus Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff in sections three and four, who might battle for a semi-final spot.
Should Raducanu make a big run to the final, she could face players from the bottom half of the draw, like Amanda Anisimova, world number two Elena Rybakina, or world number eight Elina Svitolina. The current Wimbledon champ Iga Swiatek is also in that bottom section.
Excitingly, the 2026 Wimbledon will mark Serena Williams’ first singles event since 2022, as she’s come out of retirement to return to pro tennis. She’ll play Australia’s Maya Joint, who qualified for Wimbledon for the first time last year, in round one.
Sabalenka will start against qualifier Teadora Kostovic, and Swiatek faces American doubles star Taylor Townsend in her opening match. French Open winner Mirra Andreeva will take on Poland’s Magda Linette, while Maja Chwalinska, who made an impressive run at Roland Garros, faces Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the same section.
Chwalinska needed a wildcard to play at Wimbledon because her ranking wasn’t high enough by last month’s deadline. Thanks to her great performance at the French Open, she’s now seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time.
Other British players include Katie Boulter, who will play Italy’s Tyra Caterina Grant, and Fran Jones, who faces France’s Diane Parry.
You can check out the full draw here.