Who is Alicia Dudeney? Meet the Wimbledon wild card making Grand Slam debut

WIMBLEDON -- Since graduating from university last year, Alicia Dudeney has climbed steadily through the professional ranks. On Monday, the 23-year-old Brit will make her Grand Slam main-draw debut at Wimbledon after receiving a wild card into her home major.

Just two weeks ago, Dudeney made her WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz main-draw debut in Nottingham. Ranked No. 245 in the rankings, she earned her Wimbledon wild card after winning seven World Tennis Tour titles since graduating in May 2025. Four of those came in Monastir, Tunisia, where she has played more than 15 tournaments over the past year.

"I was actually in Nottingham when I found out," Dudeney told wtatennis.com. "I was just incredibly excited. It's been my dream to play here, and I was just overwhelmed and really happy."

Dudeney is hoping her first Wimbledon appearance is only the beginning.

"It's my dream to play here, but I also want to do well," she said. "Obviously, I've only been doing this a year, so hopefully I've still got a lot left to go. Just keep improving, use the grass-court season to learn from the experience and hopefully be back here next year."

Ahead of her first-round match against Alycia Parks on Monday, get to know the 23-year-old Brit.

Her tennis background in a nutshell

Dudeney's tennis journey began almost by accident. When she was 7 or 8 years old, her mother dropped her off at a local park while she went for a coffee. Dudeney picked up a racquet for the first time that day and, as she tells it, never looked back.

She later trained at Pavilion & Avenue Tennis Club in Brighton and Hove alongside fellow Brit and close friend Sonay Kartal before heading to the University of Florida at 18 to play collegiate tennis.

After graduating in May 2025, Dudeney turned professional and quickly began climbing the rankings. Unranked just 13 months ago, she has surged to No. 245 in the rankings by capturing seven World Tennis Tour W15 titles. She also won 25 of 27 matches between March and May this year, setting the stage for her Wimbledon breakthrough.

Before heading to Florida, Dudeney enjoyed success as a junior, reaching the girls' singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2021. A lifelong fan of the Championships, she has also experienced the tournament from the other side of the fence.

In recent years, Dudeney has returned to the All England Club as a spectator, cheering on close friend Sonay Kartal and taking in one of Wimbledon's most memorable matches -- Novak Djokovic's five-set victory over Jannik Sinner on Centre Court in the 2022 quarterfinals.

This year, she'll get to experience the tournament as a main-draw player for the first time.

Opting for the collegiate route

Dudeney chose the college route because she did not feel ready to turn professional. At the University of Florida, she gave herself time to grow into the demands of the sport.

By the time she graduated in May 2025, Dudeney had compiled an 89-36 singles record, earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2025 and reached the NCAA doubles semifinals in 2024.

Just as important, she said, the experience helped her mature and sharpen the technical side of her game.

"I would say I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into," Dudeney laughed. "I'd seen a lot of American movies and you kind of see from that and get a little bit of a perception from that, but I wasn't sure how close it would be to it.

"I knew of a few people that had been and gone through the college route when I was going, and a lot of them, they said they loved it. The team environment and things like that. I would say I didn't really know what I was walking into, but it's been incredible."

Dudeney earned her bachelor's degree in business with a minor in economics. She was also teammates with American player McCartney Kessler.

A sweet tooth

Off the court, Dudeney enjoys keeping things simple. She likes spending time with friends and family, settling in with a good book or finding a new TV series to binge.

"I love hanging out with my friends and family, because obviously you don't get to see them as much as I would want to," Dudeney said. "I also just read sometimes or watch Netflix. It's quite go, go, go and actually to just to switch my brain off and just chill out for a bit is also nice."

She also loves to bake, specially cakes and sweet treats.

"I like to find a lot of recipes online and then just try it out," Dudeney said.

'This one's really kind of quirky'

When asked to share a fun fact that fans might not know about her, Dudeney didn't have to think long.

"This one's really kind of quirky. I actually don't have a sense of smell, fun fact." Dudeney said. "I was born without a sense of smell. That's very out there, but it is a fun fact you probably wouldn't expect."

Dudeney said when she was younger, her mother had rosemary from a garden and wanted Dudeney to enjoy the smell, except she couldn't. Then, they went back inside the house, and alongside her brothers, they had Dudeney attempt to smell more distinct scents, such as a bleach, and that's when her mother wanted to take her to a doctor.

As the sense of smell heavily affects taste, Dudeney said she enjoys baking because of how visually appealing the sweets are.

"That's often why I stick to sweet treats because I think everything looks good. Then when it looks good, you want to eat it, bake it or try it."

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