Emma Raducanu returns to Wimbledon on Monday as the British number one gets her 2025 Championships campaign under way
British number one Emma Raducanu kicks off her 2025 Wimbledon campaign this afternoon, facing off against Welsh teen Mimi Xu in the first round of the women’s singles. Despite being modest about her expectations for this year’s tournament at SW19, the 22-year-old will be aiming to progress past the fourth round for the first time.
Her journey begins on Court One on Monday, where she’ll compete against 17-year-old Xu, a rising star from Swansea. Raducanu’s return to SW19 has been marked by controversy earlier this year when she was accused of flouting a 150-year-old dress code at the All England Club.
In March, club members accused her of “arrogance” for allegedly disregarding the traditional all-white attire required for matches and practice sessions, extending to the main Grand Slam event in the summer. The 2021 US Open champion was reported to have worn “whatever she want[ed],” including a pink outfit during a practice session, which reportedly infuriated members of the prestigious club, reports Wales Online.
“It’s so unfair,” an irate member told the Daily Mail. “Who does she think she is? Just because she’s won the US Open doesn’t mean she can wear whatever she wants.”
The All England Club rules – first introduced in the 1880s – dictate that players must wear “suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white” while on the courts, as well as “from the point at which the player enters the court surround”. In 2023, an amendment was made to the rules allowing female players to wear dark undershorts under their kit, but the regulations remain stringent.
For instance, permitted white outfits do “not include off-white or cream”, while only a 10mm trim of another single colour is allowed around necklines or the cuffs of sleeves. Raducanu appears to have taken note as she has been spotted in training ahead of this year’s tournament sporting an all-white outfit on the championship courts.
She is certainly not the first star to have caused a stir with their choice of attire at Wimbledon, with some of the game’s biggest names also accused of not adhering to the dress code. In 2022, Nick Kyrgios stirred up controversy by stepping onto the court in a pair of red Nike Jordan shoes and matching cap before changing into his white attire.
Even the legendary Roger Federer got a telling off for wearing orange-soled shoes on the revered courts.
Raducanu and her day one opponent Xu are friendly, sometimes talking together in Mandarin. Xu’s parents are both of Chinese heritage, as is Raducanu’s mother.
They got to know each other better when Xu was a hitting partner for the British team at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga last November, and the teenager is quietly confident of causing an upset, having already beaten two top-100 players on grass this summer.
Raducanu came into the tournament after a difficult couple of matches at Eastbourne amid “some really bad” personal news, while she continues to battle a niggling back problem. There were no signs of discomfort when the 22-year-old trained at the All England Club on Friday, although she was well beaten in a practice set on Court One by former champion Elena Rybakina.
Raducanu did look a lot more smiley later when she was spotted walking around the grounds with US Open mixed doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz. Her clash with Xu is scheduled for court number one – a challenge the teen will relish.
The Ladies’ Singles first round clash is the third game scheduled at court number one today, and is estimated to get under way around 3.50pm.
