Ireland may not yet have a Grand Slam champion in the modern era, but a new generation of Irish players is making steady progress on the ATP and WTA Tours. In this article, we look at the top Irish tennis players in 2025, including Michael Agwi and Celine Simunyu, as well as Irish-born Grand Slam champions from the sport’s early years such as Joshua Pim and Mabel Cahill.
Michael Agwi is currently the number 1 male Irish tennis player on the men’s tennis tour with an ATP ranking of 608 in the world.
Michael Agwi is one of seven Irish players who have an official ATP ranking, with the other being Peter Buldorini (948), Conor Gannon (1390T), Ammar Elamin (1584T), Freddy Murray (1875T), Osgar O’Hoisin (1969T), and Cian Maguire (2032T).
On the WTA Tour, Celine Simunyu is the number 1 Irish player playing on the WTA Tour with a world ranking of 855.
As at June 2025, Celine Simunyu was the only Irish player ranked in the top 1000 of the WTA World Singles Ranking.
| 🇮🇪 Top Irish Players (June 2025) | ATP Rank | WTA Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Agwi | 608 | – |
| Celine Simunyu | – | 855 |
Top Irish Male Tennis Players (ATP)
| IRL Rank | ATP Rank | Tennis Player | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 608 | Michael Agwi | 54 |
| 2 | 948 | Peter Buldorini | 17 |
| 3 | 1390T | Conor Gannon | 4 |
| 4 | 1584T | Ammar Elamin | 3 |
| 5 | 1875T | Freddy Murray | 1 |
| 6 | 1969T | Osgar O’Hoisin | 1 |
| 7 | 2032T | Cian Maguire | 1 |
Top Irish Female Tennis Players (WTA)
| IRL Rank | WTA Rank | Tennis Player | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 855 | Celine Simunyu | 30 |
ATP and WTA Rankings Date: 25/06/2025
The main Tennis Ireland Rankings as well as the ranking for Irish Juniors and Seniors are available to view on the Tennis Ireland Tournament Software website.
Irish Grand Slam Winners – Men’s Singles
To date, Willoughby Hamilton (1890 Wimbledon), James Cecil Parke (1912 Australian Open), and Joshua Pim (1893 and 1894 Wimbledon) are the only Irish-born tennis players who have claimed a grand slam title in men’s singles.
| Year | Player | Grand Slam | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | Willoughby Hamilton | Wimbledon | William Renshaw (GBR) | 6–8, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1, 6–1 |
| 1893 | Joshua Pim | Wimbledon | Wilfred Baddeley | 3–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1894 | Joshua Pim | Wimbledon | Wilfred Baddeley | 10–8, 6–2, 8–6 |
| 1912 | James Cecil Parke | Australian Open | Alfred Beamish (GBR) | 3–6, 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 7–5 |
Irish Grand Slam Winners – Women’s Singles
Lena Rice was the first Irish-born woman to win a grand slam title when she claimed the title at the 1890 Wimbledon.
A year later Mabel Cahill would win the first of her two US Open singles titles.
Mabel Cahill would later be included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and to this day is the only player in the Hall of Fame who was born in Ireland.
| Year | Player | Grand Slam | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | Lena Rice | Wimbledon | Blanche Bingley Hillyard (GBR) | Walkover |
| 1891 | Mabel Cahill | US Open | Ellen Roosevelt | 6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 1892 | Mabel Cahill | US Open | Elisabeth Moore | 5–7, 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 |
Irish Players at Wimbledon
Irish born players had great success in the early days of Wimbledon, with Willoughby Hamilton (1890), Joshua Pim (1893 and 1894), and Lena Rice (1890) all winning the Wimbledon singles titles.
In the open era, there has been less success, with Conor Niland (2011) being the last player from Ireland to make it to the main draw of the singles, where he lost in five sets to Adrian Mannarino in the first round (6-4, 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 4-6).
If Conor had defeated Mannarino, he would have faced Roger Federer in the second round but unfortunately, it was not to be.
Future of Irish Tennis
While Ireland continues to develop its tennis infrastructure, the current crop of players such as Michael Agwi and Celine Simunyu are showing that the next generation of Irish talent has plenty of promise. With increased support from Tennis Ireland and more international exposure, the future of Irish tennis looks bright.
Ireland Davis Cup Team
The Ireland Davis Cup Team is currently competing in the World Group Zone II of the Davis cup, where their most recent match was against China, with the match ending in a 3-1 victory for China.