Q&A: 2025 Wimbledon Finalist Ronit Karki

Another year, another Eastern junior putting on a show on the grass at the All England Club. Ronit Karki, of East Brunswick, N.J., entered the Wimbledon junior boys’ singles draw as a qualifier and defeated three seeded players in three straight matches to reach the final. (No. 6 seed Ivan Ivanov ultimately defeated the American, 6-2, 6-3, to lift the championship trophy.) Incredibly, Karki is the fourth player from the section—and more specifically, New Jersey—to contest a junior singles championship at Wimbledon in the last six years, following Summit’s Alexa Noel (in 2019), Basking Ridge’s Samir Banerjee (in 2021) and Montville’s Michael Zheng (in 2022).

Karki displayed some remarkable resilience throughout the fortnight. He overcame Switzerland’s Flynn Thomas in the first round in a 10-point, third-set tiebreak, then dropped the first set against the No. 8 seed Jack Kennedy (in an all-Eastern Round of 16 battle), the No. 14 seed Alan Wazny (in the quarterfinals) and the No. 12 seed Alexander Vasilev (in the semis) before finding a way to advance in three each time. We talked to Karki, 17, about his week of comebacks and his development as a player in the Garden State.

Reaching the final of a junior Grand Slam is a remarkable achievement! How are you feeling? Has it sunk in yet?

KARKI: Yeah, I’m super proud. If someone told me before this trip that I was going to go that far, I wouldn’t have thought it was impossible. But I wasn’t thinking ‘Yeah, this is going to happen’. That’s not the expectation. I’m just really proud to have achieved the result.

Your run was marked by several major comebacks, as well as some tough three-setters. Even in your final qualifying round bout you outlasted your opponent 10-6 in a match tiebreaker. What can you say about your resiliency throughout the tournament?

KARKI: One of the most important things was that I didn’t panic. I stayed calm in those situations, and I continued with the self-belief that I could pull through. From there I just got to work figuring out how I was going to win the match, what tactics I needed to adjust or what areas of my own game I needed to focus on.

Which of these battles en route to the final proved the most challenging in that regard? 

KARKI: My quarterfinal match against Alan Wazny was probably the toughest. I broke him in the first game in the third, then quickly went down 1-4. I felt my energy level dropping and little tingles in my leg, almost like the onset of cramps. I just started trying to hydrate myself, eating things. My sister actually gave me a Kit Kat. [Laughs.] I felt like I couldn’t give my full effort down 1-4, but I knew I still had to play at a high enough level to [keep the score close] in the match. I found a way to manage being tired and still giving myself a chance to win. It ended up paying off because I felt like I had my energy back at 5-4.

How did you feel about your game once you started playing matches at [tune-up event] Roehampton and the All England Club? 

KARKI: Jay actually told me he thought my game would transition well. I’m a shorter guy and the ball didn’t end up getting too low on me on the grass. I also like to play quickly, and the grass can reward you if you execute and take time away. I grew up playing on fast, indoor hardcourts, so playing on fast courts isn’t necessarily something I struggle with.

This is just the third junior Grand Slam you’ve played. What’s your overall takeaway from this result?

KARKI: I proved to myself that I can play at a high level consistently. And also just looking at the way I competed on court, I was able to figure out problems even when I went down in the score.

You’re the fourth player from New Jersey in six years to reach a Wimbledon junior final. What’s the connection between this event and the Garden State?

KARKI: I think in general there’s just a lot of talent in the northeast. It’s not the best weather for tennis. You have six months outdoors, six months indoors. But I think you learn how to adjust to different surfaces. And like I mentioned before, growing up playing on indoor hard courts is definitely helpful transitioning to grass.

How did you get started playing? When did you first pick up a racquet?

KARKI: My dad and my sister both played, and I would always watch them and want to get involved too. So as soon as I was old enough my parents enrolled me in lessons. For a while I just followed in the footsteps of my sister, trying to compete with her and beat her in practice.

Getting to this level involves a great deal of support. How has your family helped you on your journey in the sport?

KARKI: I’m just really grateful. My parents have always instilled certain values in me like being calm on court, competing with class and being respectful to my opponents. I’m always trying to improve that part of my game, and they’re the reason I take that part very seriously. My sister has also been a huge inspiration to me growing up. I have to thank my family for standing by me throughout all of this and being so supportive of me. Without them I wouldn’t be in this position.

What’s your advice to young juniors in the section hoping to get to your position one day?

KARKI: I think you have to find a way to love the sport and love the feeling of going in and training. Working hard is super important, but you really have to love putting the effort in. If you love the feeling of stepping on court and working on your game, even working through those days where it might not feel so good, training isn’t going to be a chore. And that just makes success more likely.