Two players will break new ground at Wimbledon 2021 by contesting the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time. Get to know them here at wtatennis.com.
Jodie Burrage (GBR)
Back in 2014, 15-year-old schoolgirl Jodie Burrage caused a stir by claiming victory over a reigning Wimbledon champion. Marion Bartoli had ended her professional career a month after winning her first Grand Slam at SW19 in 2013, came out of retirement the following year to compete in an exhibition event in Liverpool, and called it quits while trailing Burrage 7-5, 3-2.
Since then, Burrage has risen gradually, improving her year-end ranking in every season and peaking at World No.233 in June 2019. The 22-year-old Londoner has collected four ITF titles along the way, including a second at W25 level in Dubai this March, and made her WTA main draw debut as a lucky loser in Abu Dhabi in January.
Now ranked World No.270, Burrage stretched a Top 200 player to three sets in each of her grass-court tuneups, losing 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Kristie Ahn in Nottingham; 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to Lizette Cabrera in the Nottingham ITF W100; and 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Kristina Mladenovic in Eastbourne qualifying. Her wildcard into The Championships this year is her first.
Emma Raducanu (GBR)
Emma Raducanu's Instagram biography reads "london | toronto | bucharest | shenyang" - a reflection of the former Top 20 junior's multicultural heritage. Born in Canada to a Romanian father and Chinese mother who moved to the United Kingdom when she was two years old, Raducanu grew up in London and at 18 is now one of the brightest prospects in British tennis.
A promising junior career included a run to the 2018 Wimbledon girls' quarterfinals, featuring a win over Leylah Fernandez. Raducanu's professional appearances have been limited but impressive. Since making her ITF debut in 2018, she has competed in just 21 tournaments, but has collected three titles, including her first W25 trophy in Pune at the end of 2019.
Raducanu's last event prior to the Covid-19 shutdown was a run to the Sunderland ITF W25 final in February 2020 that included a defeat of Clara Tauson in the semifinals. She did not play another pro tournament for 16 months, returning to action three weeks ago in Nottingham, where she made her WTA main draw debut. Initially awarded a qualifying wildcard for Wimbledon, Raducanu earned an upgrade to the main draw after defeating Storm Sanders and Timea Babos to reach the Nottingham ITF W100 quarterfinals last week.
Previously:
Roland Garros 2021's Grand Slam debutantes: Osorio Serrano, Liang, Gorgodze and more
Australian Open 2021's Grand Slam debutantes: Danilovic, Jones
Roland Garros 2020's Grand Slam debutantes: Tauson, Sherif, Zarazua and more
US Open 2020's Grand Slam debutantes: Gracheva, Baptiste, Zavatska and more
Australian Open 2020's Grand Slam debutantes: Fernandez, Li, Minnen and more
US Open 2019's Grand Slam debutantes: Wang Xiyu, Volynets, Bolkvadze
Wimbledon 2019's Grand Slam debutantes: Gauff, McNally, Flink
Roland Garros 2019's Grand Slam debutantes: Rybakina, Samsonova, Juvan and more
Australian Open 2019's Grand Slam debutantes: Swiatek, Kudermetova, Badosa and more
US Open 2018's Grand Slam debutantes: Muchova, Zidansek, Yastremska and more
Wimbledon 2018's Grand Slam debutantes: Lapko, Dart, Ruse and more
Roland Garros 2018's Grand Slam debutantes: Krejcikova, Dolehide, García Pérez and more
Australian Open 2018's Grand Slam debutantes: Kostyuk, Pera, Wang Xinyu and more
