Henry Searle, 2023 Wimbledon boys' champ, trusts self-improvement mindset will see things fall into place

Twelve months ago at Wimbledon, two-time champion Andy Murray waved goodbye on Centre Court weeks before hanging up his racquet at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Murray’s two-decade influence on inspiring a generation is apparent at this year’s edition, with 23 home hopefuls among the two singles draws—the most in 41 years.

Some of the entrants, of course, have been afforded a golden opportunity by the All England Club in getting their shots via the main-draw wild card route. One of the 2025 selections is a budding talent who made history at SW19 two years earlier.

In 2023, Henry Searle drew top seed Juan Carlos Prado Ángelo in his junior opener. By the tournament’s end, the unseeded 17-year-old became Great Britain’s first boys’ singles title holder since 1962.

“To win junior Wimbledon, it was kind of unexpected really. It wasn’t something that was particularly on the radar,” he told Tennis Channel at the recent Lexus Ilkley Challenger.

Searle did not drop a set during his magical run to the trophy that included a quarterfinal victory over teenage phenom Joao Fonseca.

“It was an incredible achievement. Henry’s very humble and I hope British tennis benefits from what he did,” said his coach Morgan Phillips. “I’ve been to a few tournaments where parents have come up to me and said. ‘thank you for what Henry did. It’s inspired my kids to play tennis.’

“Someone like Henry can really promote the sport in this country.”

The Wolverhampton native stepped up to the big leagues at The Championships the following year thanks to a wild card, losing to Marcos Giron after claiming their opening set. He’s since gained greater experience on what it takes to make the junior-to-pro transition on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“Last year was a good year to learn your way around things, kind of get used to the tour a little bit more,” said Searle.

By late January, he reached his first Challenger final in Nottingham. That success propelled him inside the Top 500 for the first time with a jump of more than 100 places (he has since peaked at No. 389). A quarterfinal showing at the Crete Challenger 1 in March followed, while Searle also picked up reps at a handful of ITF World Tennis Tour events.

“I don’t really get carried away with too much of the bigger picture stuff. Just focusing on improving myself and hopefully things will fall into place,” said Searle.

At six-foot-four and competing left-handed, it’s natural to draw potential comparisons to Jack Draper—the highest-ranked Brit on either tour presently at No. 4. For Searle, who began playing at the age of three, he’s proud to carry a special family link through to the sport he loves.

“My mom, Emma, reached a national level in swimming. The serving part’s helped with the strong shoulders she had from swimming and I like to make that little connection,” he shared.

Searle comes into Wimbledon seeking his first tour-level win. He defeated Coleman Wong to clinch his Ilkley opener, then won a qualifying round at the ATP 500 in London by ousting 69th-ranked Bu Yunchaokete—his best victory by ranking to date.

I don’t really get carried away with too much of the bigger picture stuff. Just focusing on improving myself and hopefully things will fall into place. Henry Searle

All three of his eventual losses during the grass-court swing were in deciding sets, and for Phillips, it just comes down to putting in more hard yards.

“What stood out to me with Henry’s game was his kind of firepower. The efficiency that he had with it. He’s got a lot of potential,” he asserts, having begun working with Searle when he was 16.

“It’s going to take time for sure, and a lot of work. Hopefully next year we potentially can get into some of those Grand Slam qualies. And then definitely I think there’s Top 100, Top 50 potential. Once you reach those targets, anything’s possible.”

Searle meets Ethan Quinn of the U.S. in the third match on Court 4 Monday. If 2023 is any indication, look out for “Henry's Barmy Army” to help push Searle onward.