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Wimbledon: From Maria Sharapova to Coco Gauff – the teenagers who have starred at SW19

Emma Raducanu is the latest teen to excel at the Championships.

Jonathan Veal
Tuesday 06 July 2021 07:49 BST
Duchess of Cambridge serves up desserts during visit to Wimbledon

Emma Raducanu’s fairytale Wimbledon campaign came to an end after she was forced to retire during her fourth round match against to Ajla Tomljanovic.

The 18-year-old Briton beat Vitalia Diatchenko, Marketa Vondrousova and Sorana Cirstea in a thrilling debut SW19 campaign.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at other great moments for teenagers at the All England Club.

Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis poses with the Wimbledon trophy (PA Archive)

The Swiss was just 16 years old when she won the 1997 singles title to cement her place as a teenage prodigy, having already claimed the Australian Open that year. By then she already had pedigree at SW19, having won the mixed doubles the previous year as a 15-year-old.

Boris Becker

The German introduced himself to the tennis world in style when he won the 1985 title as a 17-year-old. With his strawberry blonde hair and acrobatics on the court, Becker beat Kevin Curran to become the youngest ever grand slam champion at the time.

Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova lifts the Wimbledon trophy (PA Archive)

The Russian was 17 when she became a household name in sport by winning the 2004 crown. With her extraordinary power, and deafening screams, Sharapova beat Serena Williams in the final after a brilliant run in her second SW19 outing.

Anna Kournikova

Sharapova was not the first teenage Russian to cause a storm as a 16-year-old Kournikova made it to the semi-finals on her debut in 1997. She lost to fellow teen Hingis and was never able to recreate those heights.

Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios celebrates winning (PA Archive)

The controversial Australian’s first headlines were positive, when in 2014 he sent Rafael Nadal packing in the fourth round, aged only 19. He became the first debutant to reach the quarter-finals in a decade.

Jelena Dokic

Hingis got a taste of her own medicine in 1999 when she was defeated by 16-year-old Dokic, as the Australian became the first ever qualifier to beat the world number one at Wimbledon. Her run ended at the quarter-final stage.

Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff reacts to winning (PA Archive)

Gauff’s life exploded in 2019 as she became the star of the Championships at the age of 15. The American was the youngest ever qualifier at the All England Club and reached the fourth round, beating Venus Williams, Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog before losing to eventual champion Simona Halep.

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