Tennis was quite exciting for British players in 2024, and with it came a few titles. Draper, Boulter, and Kartal all won ATP/WTA competitions, whilst others made breakthroughs including a junior Grand Slam.
It is expected that several titles will be earned by British tennis players this year. This expectation is bolstered by a fantastic 2024 for Jack Draper, who won his first two ATP titles and reached the US Open semi-final. Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal also had an exceptional year with WTA titles and huge rises in the WTA rankings.
With four ATP/WTA titles earned in 2024 and a huge rise in expectations, it will be a thrilling year for our Brits. That being said, which tournaments need to be retained in 2025?
Stuttgart ATP 250 – June 9th
Jack Draper won his maiden title in Stuttgart last June. This set a path for his thrilling end to 2025.
Jack made it to the US Open semi-final just a few months later, before bowing out to Jannik Sinner. More recently he reached the Australian Open Fourth Round before retiring against third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Draper could begin his defence in June, however he will have a tough decision to make. The Cinch Championships at Queen’s start on June 16th, just a day after the expected final in Stuttgart.
It is expected that Draper would prioritise an ATP 500 which could provide precious ranking points leading up to Wimbledon. The centre-court at Queen’s Club was also renamed the Andy Murray Arena. With Draper recently naming Andy Murray as his idol, playing the opening tournament at the newly renamed stadium would be an honour.
Nottingham WTA 250 – June 16th
Nottingham has been a haven for Katie Boulter these last two years. In 2023 she won her maiden WTA 250 title at Nottingham, and in 2024 she retained it.
The Rothesay Nottingham Open is between London and Berlin events. With Nottingham close to home for Boulter, a Leicestershire native, and a venue of her success, her return is expected.
Katie Boulter also won a WTA 500 event in San Diego, however, it is not expected that this tournament will return as a WTA event in 2025.
Monastir WTA 250 – September 8th
Sonay Kartal had a brilliant 2024 in which she won her maiden WTA title, breaking her into the top 100.
The Jasmin Open in Monastir, Tunisia made its appearance as a WTA 250 event for the first time in 2022. It has seen just two different champions – Elise Mertens in 2022 and 2023, and Sonay Kartal in 2024.
The Jasmin Open takes place after the US Open concludes, during a point in the year which is perfect for a player to raise their rank. Many top-ranked players take a rest in late summer due to the intense months between May and August which feature three Grand Slams.
Of the five finalists to have appeared in Monastir, only one has reached a top 10 ranking. This is usually because of the unfortunate timing of the event, and this year will be no different with the opening round taking place just a day after the conclusion of the US Open.
Vienna ATP 500 – October 20th
Jack Draper’s second career title came just a few months after his first. Vienna would be Jack’s fourth visit to an ATP final, however, it would be just his first to an ATP 500.
In a tournament which featured Zverev, de Minaur, Paul, and Tiafoe; Draper was certainly not the favourite. Alas, the Brit was outstanding throughout the tournament and only dropped a single set in all five of his matches.
During October there are two Masters 1000 events, two ATP 500s, and two ATP 250s. This makes it a very lucrative month for players who look to finish the year in the top ranks. The top-ranked players are often spread between the events and it isn’t uncommon for only a couple of players in the top 10 to be present at an ATP 500 event.
For players vowing to become one of the highest-ranked players, those ATP 500 events are extremely attractive. It would be expected that Draper would appear at the Vienna Open instead of the Rolex Paris Masters, which starts a day after the conclusion of the Viennese tournament.
It would mean that Draper would likely appear in the Shanghai Masters 1000 at the start of October, although it isn’t out of the question that he could be a late entry in Paris even if he retains the Vienna Open title.