ATP Tour

Five Challenger players to watch at Wimbledon

ATPTour.com highlights five players from the ATP Challenger Tour to watch during Wimbledon.

Shintaro Mochizuki
The 22-year-old's ability to take the ball early, hit flat groundstrokes and finish points at net makes him a tricky opponent on grass, a surface on which Mochizuki has plenty of experience. In 2019, Mochizuki won the Wimbledon boys' singles event as a 16-year-old, becoming the first Japanese male player in history to win a junior Slam.

Mochizuki advanced through qualifying and will now look to improve upon his 10-2 grass-court record (across all levels) this season. He finished runner-up at the grass Nottingham Challenger, where former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic beat Mochizuki to lift the trophy. Mochizuki also made the semi-finals in Ilkley.

Read our Mochizuki feature: Former junior No. 1 & conqueror of Alcaraz

Jack Pinnington Jones
One of the home hopes in the draw, Pinnington Jones showed his grass-court prowess and heavy firepower earlier this month by reaching the Ilkley Challenger final in just his fourth event at that level this season. The 22-year-old recently completed his junior season at Texas Christian University, following in the footsteps of countrymen Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley, who both played for TCU and are now inside the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Pinnington Jones is turning pro and will look to seize a memorable moment in his first major main-draw appearance. A two-time ITA All-American, Pinnington Jones is a repeat qualifier for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator, which focuses on increasing the development pathway for top players in the American collegiate system.

Henry Searle
The #NextGenATP British lefty will look to lean on home support while returning to the All England Club, where he is competing as a wild card for the second consecutive year. Flashback to 2023 and Searle was crowned champion at the Wimbledon boys' singles event, doing so without dropping a set. Searle, then 17, became the first British male since 1962 to win that junior tournament.

At 18th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Searle is trying to push for a qualifying spot for the 20-and-under the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. Earlier this season, the Wolverhampton native reached his maiden Challenger final on indoor hard courts in Nottingham. Searle starts against American Ethan Quinn, who made the third round of Roland Garros as a qualifier and is at a career-high No. 89.

Leandro Riedi
The Swiss was overcome with emotion on Thursday when he advanced through qualifying to secure his first major main-draw appearance. Riedi's tears meant more than playing in the field of 128, but rather they were reflective of how difficult the past year has been for him. In 2024, Riedi let slip a two-sets-to-love lead in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying and even held a match point, but Australian Alex Bolt spoiled the party and claimed a dramatic five-set win.

Riedi then dealt with knee pain throughout the North American hard-court swing and opted for surgery in September, and needed another surgery in January. Riedi did not compete for nine months. This year's Wimbledon marks just the third tournament in his comeback. Riedi opens against Oliver Tarvet, with a potential showdown against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz looming in the second round.

Filip Misolic
The Austrian has recently been enjoying some of his best form. Since May, Misolic is 20-2 across all levels, including a third-round run at Roland Garros as a qualifier, only falling to 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic. The 23-year-old has also lifted Challenger trophies on clay in Prague and Poznan during that period.

Misolic made a fine transition to grass to advance through qualifying for the second consecutive major. He began the season at No. 315 in the PIF ATP Rankings and this month hit a career-high No. 110.

Did You Know?
Former No. 3 Cilic became the oldest grass-court champion in ATP Challenger Tour history earlier this month. At 36 years and eight months, the Croatian broke Andy Murray’s record for oldest grass-court Challenger titlist (36 years and one month, two years ago in Nottingham). Following his Nottingham triumph, Cilic returned to the Top 100 for the first time since August 2023.