Building Momentum on Grass Ahead of Wimbledon

At the start of the year, Jin Woodman had never played a professional match on grass. Six matches later, he had beaten both of the world's top two quad wheelchair players on the surface.

What began with his first grass-court tournament in Eastbourne turned into a first grass-court title, backed up by a run to the final of the ITF 1000 in Roehampton. More importantly, it built a huge amount of confidence heading into his first Wimbledon.

Another big test in Roehampton

Roehampton brought another chance to test himself against the world's best, this time in the form of Niels Vink — a player Jin had long looked up to and wanted to compete against, but had faced six times previously without a win.

This time was different. Jin dropped the first set of their semi-final before turning the match around to beat the world No.1. Within six days, he had beaten both Sam Schröder and Niels Vink for the first time — a huge moment not just for the names involved, but for what it proved: that he could compete with, and beat, the very best players in the world.

Six wins from six

Reaching the Roehampton final moved Jin's grass-court record to 6-0 — a remarkable tally given he'd never played a professional match on the surface before that summer. The learning curve was steep, requiring adjustments to movement, shot selection and overall approach to points, with confidence building alongside every match. Perhaps the biggest shift, though, has been belief: knowing he can step onto a grass court against the best in the world and genuinely fancy his chances.

And then there's Wimbledon

Wimbledon is one of the most famous tournaments in the world, and this year marks Jin's first appearance there. He's also the only Australian in the quad singles draw, adding extra significance to representing his country on that stage.

The challenge ahead is a clear one — Sam Schröder and Niels Vink have dominated quad wheelchair tennis for years and both hold Wimbledon titles of their own. But after the results of the past couple of weeks, Jin arrives at Wimbledon with more than hope of making up the numbers; he's earned the right to believe he can compete.

At just 17 and playing his first Wimbledon, there will inevitably be plenty to learn — and that's exactly what excites him most. Having spent recent weeks discovering what he's capable of on grass, the next challenge is finding out what he can do at Wimbledon.