Player history

Born on Channel Island of Guernsey, Heather Watson started playing at age 7, then moved to Bollettieri Academy in Florida when she was 12. A former Us Open junior champion in 2009, she played her first professional event on ITF Circuit that year in Jersey.

In 2010 the Brit made her WTA main draw debut as a wildcard at 2010 in Miami and recorded her first main draw match win in Eastbourne

She roke into Top 100 on June 6, 2011 but 2012 was her breakthrough season. She reached her first Grand Slam third round at Wimbledon and wWith her title run in Osaka, Watson became the first British woman to win a WTA singles title since Sara Gomer in 1988. As a consequence, she made her Top 50 debut on October 15, 2012. That year she finished the season ranked No.49, her only Top 50 season so far.

After missing two months in 2013 due to glandular fever (Miami to Roland Garros), she struggled throughout 2014 season with a right rib injury. Her 2015 began with an excellent title run in Hobart. Watson beat Magdaléna Rybáriková, No.5 seed Sloane Stephens, No.9 seed Roberta Vinci, No.8 seed Alison Riske and Madison Brengle to clinch the second WTA title and hit her career-high singles ranking of No.38 on January 19, 2015. In 2016, then, she won the third WTA singles title of her career in Monterrey (d. Flipkens in the third final played) and the mixed doubles title at All England Club (w/Kontinen, d. Farah/Groenefeld).

In 2017 she reached the semifinals in Eastbourne alongside Konta. It was the first time in the tournament’s history, and the maiden time since Jo Durie and Anabel Croft both fell in the semifinals at 1985 Brighton, that that two British women reached the last 4 at WTA level. Watson, who lost that match to Wozniacki, moved to the quarter-finals in Monterrey (l. Kerber) and Luxembourg (l. Mertens), and finished as a runner-up in Wimbledon mixed doubles (w/Kontinen, as defending champions).