Mimi Xu was sitting an A-level biology paper on Wednesday when the news broke that she had been given a wild card into her first Wimbledon main draw.
The 17-year-old from Swansea, who reached the junior girls’ doubles final at Wimbledon last year with Mika Stojsavljevic, another wild card recipient, will fulfil an ambition she had been chasing since she first entered the qualifiers as a 14-year-old.
“For any player to play at Wimbledon is just a dream. When I get there I think it’s going to feel absolutely amazing,” she said. “If I am feeling good about myself and believing in myself I feel like I’ve a good chance against anyone. I’m really confident in my game at the moment.”
Xu has taken two top-100 scalps in the past fortnight, knocking the top seed Alycia Parks out of the Birmingham Classic with a 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) win and following it up with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Katie Volynets at the Nottingham Open.
Her academic commitments meant preparations for Thursday’s second-round match against the world No31 Magda Linette were interrupted by a trip to Nottingham High School to sit her last biology paper.
“I stand out a bit because I’m in full sports kit,” she laughed. Tuesday evening, when she might have been pondering the possibility of a Wimbledon wild card, had been spent revising instead.
Xu said she manages to balance her studies and burgeoning professional career
NATHAN STIRK/GETTY IMAGES FOR LTA
The balance between tennis and her academic commitments is a delicate one, but she is comfortable with the juggling act.
“I think I’ve been able to fit it all in quite well,” she said. “I did my maths last year and I have economics to sit next year. I have limited tournaments because of my age which has helped with fitting everything in. If I have tournaments and get behind it’s not the end of the world because I’ve been able to catch up.
“In all fairness I enjoy studying. It might sound a bit weird but I feel like studying is a bit of a hobby of mine. I really enjoy learning new things. I think a part of me after these exams is going to be thinking, ‘What shall I do with my free time?’ ”
Xu, whose Chinese parents Tony and Wendy met at Swansea University and settled in the city, first swung a racket aged three at Swansea Tennis and Squash Club.
Stojsavljevic, Xi’s doubles partner at last year’s Wimbledon junior’s tournament, has also been handed a singles wild card for this year’s draw
MIKE EGERTON/PA
“My neighbours were the ones who actually got me into tennis as my parents hadn’t had anything to do with it before, but they got me in, and I started going for half an hour each week,” she said. “When I was seven, I won the Welsh Championships for under-eights and that’s when I properly started thinking, ‘I want to do this now.’ ”
Having gone through the LTA National Academy in Loughborough and reached the semi-final of the junior girls singles at the US Open last year — as well as No8 in the junior world rankings — she transitioned to the senior ranks. She is now supported by the LTA Pro Scholarship Programme under the guidance of Nigel Sears and Katie O’Brien.
“I have a great team behind me — a lot of the LTA staff supporting me behind the scenes. I couldn’t be more grateful to them for helping me do this,” she said.
Ranked No350 in the world, her victory over the aptly named Volynets — the world No96 — at the Nottingham Open on Tuesday came on her WTA main-draw debut.
“I really enjoy competing on the grass. I think it really suits my game. And of course the support [of home fans] helps. I think we’re so lucky as Brits to have this amazing support. They are always behind you so that really helps you through some tight moments,” she said.
“I’m enjoying playing up above my ranking, having no pressure on me and being able to go out and play freely.”
Fran Jones, another of the British wildcards for Wimbledon, exited at the second round stage of the Nottingham Open, beaten 6-1, 6-3 by World No 32 Linda Noskova.
Ryan Peniston, who has a wildcard in the men’s main draw at Wimbledon, was beaten 7-6, 6-4 in the men’s event at Nottingham by American Emilio Nava while Jan Choinski also went down to Portugal’s Jaime Faria in straight sets.