The seven British players looking to make an impact at the French Open

North Wales Chronicle

22-05-2025

Main-draw action begins on May 25, with the British contingent aiming to do significantly better than last year, when they failed to win a match between them.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the home contenders.
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What a start to the season it has been for the 23-year-old, who will go into the year's second grand slam ranked fifth in the world. Draper won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells, reached another final in Madrid and has established himself as one of the most feared competitors on the men's tour. Draper is yet to win a match at Roland Garros but will be targeting a deep run.
The turbulent career of Raducanu shows no sign of settling down, with more coaching upheaval, up-and-down form and a distressing stalker incident so far in 2025. But she does appear to be gaining confidence on clay and her current informal partnership with coach Mark Petchey, while unconventional, seems to be working for her at the moment.
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Boulter started the season with hopes of pushing into the top 20 but a minor foot injury was an untimely setback and she has since slipped to 38 in the rankings. The 28-year-old would be the first to admit clay is not her best surface, and she is still chasing her maiden main-draw win at Roland Garros, but she goes into the tournament boosted by a second-tier title in the French capital.
Another first for the Scot, who is still less than a year into his professional career but already closing in on a place in the top 50. The 23-year-old had never played a senior match on clay prior to last month but continues to adapt remarkably quickly to his new life and claimed the first top-20 victory of his career over Tomas Machac in Madrid.
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Kartal's rise has not been quite as rapid as Fearnley's but a year ago she was not ranked highly enough even to get into qualifying for the French Open and now finds herself just outside the world's top 50. Having reached the fourth round in Indian Wells as a qualifier, the 23-year-old from Brighton made a strong Billie Jean King Cup debut for Britain on clay.
Cameron Norrie beats Dominic Stricker! 👏 pic.twitter.com/O6JEYXBEN1
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) May 19, 2025
While Fearnley and Kartal have been rising up the rankings, former British number one Norrie has been heading in the opposite direction. Once a top-10 player, Norrie is clinging onto a place in the top 100. Now 29, he faces a tough task to claw his way back towards the top of the game but there have been a few encouraging signs on clay.
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Burrage has entered the tournament using the protected ranking of 85 she held prior to wrist and ankle surgeries last year that kept her out for six months. She has found wins hard to come by so far this season and will feel a lot more comfortable when the season moves from clay to grass.