The iconic Queen’s Club Championships is making history in 2025 by adding a WTA grass-court tournament for the first time ever, and it has already made a blockbuster announcement—Naomi Osaka will be the first confirmed player!
This marks a major shift for the renowned London-based event, which has traditionally been an ATP-only tournament. The WTA edition will debut on June 9th, immediately after the French Open concludes, kicking off a thrilling grass-court season leading into Wimbledon.
Queen’s Club Expands, But Not Without Controversy
While many fans are thrilled about the addition of a premier WTA event at Queen’s, the move hasn’t come without controversy. The decision to introduce this event meant removing the long-standing WTA 250 tournament in Birmingham, sparking backlash from those who fear it could harm grassroots tennis outside of London.
Despite the debate, one thing is certain—the Queen’s Club Championships just became a marquee event for both men’s and women’s tennis.
🟢 ATP Tournament Highlights:
✅ Carlos Alcaraz—the 2023 Wimbledon champion and 2024 Rotterdam winner—has already committed to playing.
🟣 WTA Tournament Headline:
✅ Naomi Osaka—a four-time Grand Slam champion and one of the biggest stars in tennis—leads the entry list.
Osaka’s Grass Court Challenge – Can She Find Success on a Surface That Hasn’t Favored Her?
While Osaka’s return is massive news, there’s one lingering question—can she finally master the grass courts?
📉 Grass Court Struggles:
- Osaka has never advanced past the third round at Wimbledon.
- Her best grass results came in 2017 and 2018, reaching the third round.
- She has struggled with low bounces and grass-specific movement, despite her big serve and powerful groundstrokes seemingly suiting the surface.
🔥 Hard Court Queen:
- Osaka’s four Grand Slam titles have all come on hard courts (Australian Open & US Open).
- She has also never progressed beyond the third round of the French Open on clay.
Despite this, Osaka’s global appeal is undeniable, and her presence will elevate the prestige of the new Queen’s Club WTA tournament.
Can Osaka Stay Healthy? Injury Concerns Loom
🚨 Current Status: Osaka is recovering from an abdominal injury that forced her to retire from the Australian Open during her third-round match against Belinda Bencic.
⚠️ Injury History:
- Withdrew from ASB Classic final (Auckland) in January due to the same issue.
- Has struggled with consistency since her return from maternity leave in 2024.
📢 If Osaka can stay healthy, 2025 could be a career-defining year, as she has already shown flashes of brilliance this season.
What’s Next? A Stacked Field Expected for WTA Queen’s Club
🎾 With Osaka confirmed, the race is on for top WTA players to join the field. Tournament organizers will be eager to attract more big names and make this inaugural edition a must-watch event.
🚨 Will we see Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, or Aryna Sabalenka in London? Stay tuned!