Luxembourg’s Chris Rodesch Set for Wimbledon Debut

Chris Rodesch will be the only tennis player representing Luxembourg at Wimbledon 2025, one of the sport’s four Grand Slam tournaments.

The 23-year-old is enjoying the most successful season of his career to date. In mid-April, he won his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Tallahassee, United States, and reached a personal best by climbing to 164th in the ATP rankings. This marked only the second time a Luxembourgish male player has won a Challenger-level title, following Gilles Muller, who now serves as captain of the SEAT Lëtzebuerg Davis Cup team.

In an interview with Chronicle.lu, Rodesch spoke about his upcoming Wimbledon appearance, his debut in the Roland Garros qualifiers and his breakthrough title in Tallahassee.

“I played on grass for the first time a week and a half ago, so it’s also a very new experience for me,” said Chris Rodesch, sharing his impressions ahead of his upcoming debut at Wimbledon. “It’s kind of like a tryout for me - to see how I play on grass, how I like the grass. The last two weeks have been a bit complicated, but I think that’s totally normal. It’s my first week and a half on this surface, but I’m improving day by day. Hopefully by Monday I’m ready for the good grass at Wimbledon.”

Chris Rodesch gained his first Grand Slam experience in late May 2025 during the Roland Garros qualifying tournament, where he lost in the first round to France’s Ugo Blanchet (ATP 193) in two sets: 6-7(5), 4-6. Reflecting on the match, he noted that he had several chances and some regrets about not being more aggressive at key moments, but described the overall experience as positive: “I enjoyed the Roland Garros hours, which is the most important.” Rodesch added that he hopes to apply the lessons learned in Paris.

Rodesch earned his place in the Roland Garros qualifying draw thanks to a standout performance at the ATP Challenger event in Tallahassee in mid-April, where he defeated American Emilio Nava (ATP 140) in the final (4-6, 6-3, 6-4), ending Nava’s nineteen-match winning streak. Reflecting on the title, which marked the first ATP Challenger trophy of his career, Rodesch said: “It was just a really great week for me. I played good tennis and every match was a battle.” He acknowledged the challenge of climbing the rankings, adding: “To be in the top hundred, you need to win at least five or six of those in one year. That’s going to be really tough, but I know I can do it.”

Reflecting on his current form and ATP ranking (currently #166) Rodesch explained: “I’ve proven to myself that if I think too much about the ranking, I won’t play my best tennis. So I just try to go out there, play and do my best.” He acknowledged that rankings remain in the back of his mind, noting: “It’s a pretty true representation of your season. It shows which level you’re playing at.”

Looking ahead, Rodesch said his main goal is to gain more experience and consistency on the ATP Challenger Tour: “I hope to get a lot of reps on the Challengers now and hopefully a lot of wins. If I end up in the top 100 at the end of the year, great. If I end up in the top 200, that’s also great. I don’t want to rush things - just play my best and enjoy the process.”

Rodesch also plans to represent Luxembourg later this year in the Davis Cup, as the SEAT Lëtzebuerg Davis Cup Team prepares to face Chile in a World Group I tie scheduled for September 2025. Speaking about the upcoming challenge, he noted: “Chile is pretty good. They have Nicolás Jarry, who used to be top 30, Cristian Garín used to be top 20 and Tabilo, who’s still top 100, I think. So really good opponents, really good players. Let’s see who’s coming.”

He added: “It’s not always that those players are available for the Davis Cup because the schedule of the tennis tour is pretty tough, especially at the top. But yeah, it’s going to be for sure a great experience.”

Luxembourg's top player, Chris Rodesch, is set to begin his Wimbledon qualifying campaign on Monday 23 June 2025, with his first-round opponent to be announced the day before.