Alicia Dudeney is set to make her Wimbledon debut, hoping her unconventional journey through the US college system will inspire other young British women to follow a similar path into professional tennis.
The 23-year-old from Brighton has experienced a meteoric rise, climbing from outside the top 1,000 in the world rankings just a year ago to her current position at 246, earning her a coveted wildcard entry.
In the 13 months since graduating from the University of Florida, Dudeney has secured seven lower-tier titles.
She stands out among the six British women granted singles wild cards, being the only first-timer and the sole player to have deferred turning professional in favour of a US college education – a route increasingly common for British men but still rare for women. Dudeney firmly believes her decision was the right one.
Speaking to the Press Association, she explained: “I had the best time out there. It was definitely a very valuable experience for me. The tennis out there is amazing. You have really high-level players now that are transitioning on to the tour but just the experience helps you grow so much as a person.
“When I finished last May I was ready to travel on my own and the daily grind of what the tour consists of, which I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do at 18, so it was an invaluable experience for me. I definitely think in the last few years it’s become a lot more popular, a lot of Brits now are going out there. It’s such a good route. I definitely would recommend it to anyone.”
Her previous Wimbledon experience was limited to a run to the girls’ singles quarter-finals in 2021, and her first senior victory on grass came only this month at the WTA 125 event in Ilkley.
However, Dudeney is no stranger to the All England Club, having visited as a child and more recently supported friends Sonay Kartal and McCartney Kessler.
American Kessler, a former college teammate, has since broken into the top 30, while Dudeney grew up playing alongside Kartal at the Pavilion and Avenue Tennis Club in Hove.
With Kartal sidelined by a back injury this year, Dudeney will be carrying the torch, drawing inspiration from her friend’s success, which included a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon last year.
“I’ve been at college a lot of the time but I’ve always followed everything she’s done,” Dudeney said of Kartal. “It’s so amazing. Ben (Reeves), her coach, I also grew up with as well so to see them doing so incredibly well feels so close to home for me. It’s especially motivating – ‘I can do that’ – but also as a friend it’s just really heartwarming to see her do so well because she really does deserve it so much.”
Playing at Wimbledon has been a lifelong ambition for Dudeney.
“It’s every British player’s dream to play Wimbledon. It’s such a magical place. The last few years I’ve gone to watch Sonay and McCartney, so I’ve watched a lot of tennis matches there over the years.
“When I was small we’d go to Eastbourne a lot and I’d be the little kid with the big tennis ball that would run around and get everyone with a tennis bag to sign it.”
Buoyed by her recent successes, Dudeney is confident she can rise to the occasion in SW19.
She added: “When you haven’t played the bigger tournaments and you go in not knowing what it’s like, you can think the level is so much higher than it actually is. But then, once you actually get here and play it, you’re like, ‘Oh, these girls are really good but it’s not a crazy different level to what you’re used to’, which is great to see.”
