10 must-watch players of the 2025 grass court season
• 2 MINUTE READ
The countdown is on ahead of the 2025 grass court season as our WTA, ATP and Wheelchair tennis stars bid to claim one of the seven titles on British grass.
With tournaments spanning across Birmingham, London, Ilkley, Nottingham and Eastbourne, we’re set to welcome some of tennis’ biggest stars over the next two months - but who should you be keeping an eye on?
We’ve highlighted 10 must-watch players of this year’s grass court swing that you won’t want to miss.
Jack Draper
Over the past few years, Jack Draper has been tipped as one of the most exciting prospects on the grass and last summer saw him prove exactly why.
The British No.1 made it third time lucky in tour-level finals to finally get his hands around a maiden title at the ATP 250 event in Stuttgart - defeating two-time HSBC Championships winner and former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini.
The Brit then went on to beat former world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz for the first time in his career during a quarter-final run at The Queen's Club - the only match the Spaniard has lost on grass in the last two seasons.
Draper has come on leaps and bounds since this time last year, adding an ATP 500 (Vienna) and Masters 1000 (Indian Wells) title to his resume, reaching a Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open and breaking into the world’s top five for the first time - placing him in an even better position heading into British grass court swing this year.
Carlos Alcaraz
All eyes will undoubtedly be on two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz ahead of his return to British soil.
Since making his debut on the surface in 2023, the Spaniard has gone on to become one of the world’s best grass court players in recent years - claiming three titles, including two of his four Grand Slam crowns at Wimbledon.
With three full grass court seasons under his belt, Alcaraz has already accumulated an impressive 24-3 win record (89%), including victories over seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.
For the third year in a row, the world No.2 will make the The Queen's Club his first stop of the grass swing, before turning his focus to Wimbledon where he will bid to join an elite group of tennis legends who have completed the ‘three-peat’ in SW19. Will he do it? We’ll have to wait and find out.
Mirra Andreeva
She’s done it on the hard courts, she’s done it on the clay but will this summer be the time rising star Mirra Andreeva gets her breakthrough on the grass?
The 18-year-old has been open about the grass being her most unfamiliar surface but is eager to change that this year as she looks to build on another standout start to the season.
So far in her young career, Andreeva has claimed back-to-back WTA 1000 crowns on the hard courts at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells, made the semi-finals at Roland Garros and this year and won a WTA 250 title on clay at the Unicredit Iasi Open.
The only thing missing from her fast-expanding trophy haul is a title on the grass. However, with the young star now sitting at a career-high ranking of No.18 and playing some of the best tennis of her career, this summer might be her time to shine on British soil.
Joao Fonseca
Brazilian star Joao Fonseca has not only captivated the attention of his home fans this year, but the rest of the tennis world.
Fonseca was hailed as a rising Brazilian prodigy and he has certainly lived up to the billing during what has been a breakthrough year.
As recently as last July, Fonseca was ranked just outside the world’s top 200 before his explosive arrival on the ATP tour. The 18-year-old claimed the Next Gen ATP Finals title, a tournament for best players under the age of 21, before lifting his first ATP Challenger title at the start of this year.
Fonseca continued to develop at a fast pace and after what felt to be a long time coming, went on to lift his maiden ATP title on the clay in Argentina to crack into the world’s top 100.
While the world No.65 is still finding his feet on the grass, his aggressive baseline play and powerful forehand lends itself well to the surface and will no doubt see him become a crowd favourite when he heads to the Lexus Eastbourne Open.
Diana Shnaider
Diana Shnaider has been on a steady climb up the WTA rankings over the last 12 months and showed she has what it takes to succeed on all surfaces.
Last summer the 21-year-old backed up a quarter-final appearance at the Lexus Birmingham Open with a run to a maiden grass court title in Bad Homburg, Germany - one of five WTA trophies she lifted in 2024.
During her run to the crown in Germany, Shnaider defeated some of the world's best players including former world No.2 Paula Badosa and Emma Navarro before capping off the week with a victory over Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic.
The rising star will be back in action at the HSBC Championships where she'll look to add a second WTA 500 title on the grass to her fast-growing trophy haul.
Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz has been one of the most dominant forces on the grass in recent years and could be tipped to add another title to his resume this summer.
Fritz was one of two American men to sweep up crowns at British grass court events in 2024 as he claimed his third Eastbourne title in five years.
While the world No.4’s success on the grass has predominantly come in the singles, the American has also gained significant results in the doubles - last year finishing runner-up at The Queen's Club alongside Karen Khachanov.
The 2024 US Open runner-up has confirmed his place at the HSBC Championships and Lexus Eastbourne Open this summer and is guaranteed to bring world class tennis to British spectators.
Katie Boulter
The spotlight will be on British No.1 Katie Boulter as she looks to complete the three-peat at the Lexus Nottingham Open.
The Leicester-native has been a standout performer on British soil in recent years - storming to success in Nottingham. Two years ago, Boulter won her maiden tour-level title at her home tournament before going on to defend her crown the following year by beating Karolina Pliskova in the final.
The Briton is hoping to make another fast start to the 2025 swing as she prepares to compete at the HSBC Championships before making her return to her Nottingham in a bid to make it three trophies on the bounce.
With her strong track record on the grass and having reached career-high ranking of world No.23 last year, Boulter could be set to be a formidable contender to watch as she aims to extend her success on home soil.
Barbora Krejickova
Reigning Wimbledon ladies singles champion, Barbora Krejickova will be returning to British soil as she prepares to fight for the titles in West London and Eastbourne.
The world No.16 enjoyed a fairytale run in SW19 last summer, capping off a string of dominant performances with a three-set victory over Roland Garros runner-up Jasmine Paolini.
However, it’s been a difficult start to the new season for Krejickova. After reaching the semi-finals at the WTA Finals back in November, the 29-year-old was forced to the sidelines for the first five months of the year to nurse a back injury and played her first match of the year on the clay at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May.
Krejickova will be hoping to spark her season alight on the grass at the HSBC Championships and Lexus Eastbourne Open before making her way to SW19 where she will begin her title defence.
Alfie Hewett
There are very few feats that wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett hasn’t achieved in his career to date. Last summer, the Norfolk-born player completed the long-awaited career singles Grand Slam when he finally wrapped his hands around the silverware at Wimbledon - becoming only the second men’s wheelchair tennis player to do so and fourth overall.
The 10-time Grand Slam singles champion has dominated major tournaments over the last few years and finally earned his breakthrough at his home Slam last year after beating Spain’s Martín de la Puente in the final.
Hewett has once again made a fast start to his 2025 campaign, winning the Australian Open singles crown, the ITF Super Series trophy in Baton Rouge and two ITF 1 Series titles. With the 27-year-old in peak form and the British crowd rallying behind him, Hewett is poised to be a favourite heading into the grass swing once again.
Emma Raducanu
Britain’s Emma Raducanu will certainly be one to watch this summer as the 22-year-old returns to the surface where she made her WTA debut back in 2021, just months before her US Open title.
Raducanu enjoyed arguably her best grass court season to date last year – reaching the semi-final in Nottingham, quarter-final in Eastbourne and a fourth round run at Wimbledon.
So far this year, she’s had her best results come in the biggest events. After making the third round at the Australian Open, she’s gone on to reach a quarter-final at the WTA 1000 Miami Open and the fourth round at the Italian Open in Rome.
The British No.2s effective serve and powerful groundstrokes make her a dangerous player on the grass and has shown time and time again that she can step up on the big stage. Raducanu will be staring at both the HSBC Championships and Lexus Eastbourne Open this summer.
