Wimbledon wildcards

DavidC · Tennis legend

Wimbledon wildcards

john · Top national player

Surely Katie O'Brien deserves a main draw wildcard as much as those others that have one

johnnylad · Tennis legend

fully agree with John

Mervatron · Masters Series Champion

I agree with most of the choices. Katie was a bit unlucky.

SHocked that theres only 2 WC for brits in quallies. I know theres 2 more from the play-offs but still.

DavidC · Tennis legend

Katie may still get the last main draw wildcard - 5 is the minimum number of WCs awarded to Brits in the last decade.

Last year the then Wimbledon junior champion Agnieszka Radwanska got a main draw WC and reached the 4th round. Wozniacki and Rybarikova are the finalists from last year. Pavlyuchenkova is the world junior number 1 whilst BSM is a former top tenner who won Surbiton last week (and won a qualifying match in Birmingham within a few hours of the Surbiton final!).

I don't understand the 2 WCs for Ukrainians unless their tennis association has offered something in exchange.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Pavlyuchenkova got a wild card????

That is sick, I must say. I know that she's brilliant and will probably dominate tennis in four year's time, but why give one to a 15 year old? Surely the whole point was not "wasting" wild cards and giving it to people who had a good chance of winning a match? Borwell has a far better chance of winning than her.

And if it had been about giving a young player a chance to gain some experience, why not give it to Tara or someone?

On top of that, they have one of the worst senses of business I've seen in my entire life. Pavlyuchenkova's going to pack the stands, haha!

What hypocrites run our tennis bodies! First we search for winners and then abandon the play offs, which prevents someone from actually earning a wild card instead of being declared a chosen one from someone playing God. And now we give a wild card to a 15 year old after complaining that we are wasting wild cards...

Of course, it is possible that she'll win a round, but let me hope that she gets double bagelled.

Montana Doug · Futures qualifying

I agree Arka.....

It is really sad that Sarah and/or Katie were not given wild cards.....it makes no sense to me what so ever....I just hope one of these two girls gets the final WC.....but I'll still be ticked for the other one.....I kinda hope it is Sarah as she has had the longer road, college tennis here, going back a lot older and sticking with it etc....but then again Katie deserves it more based on her year etc....

And what pray can the LTA expect in return from Ukrainia?

Salmon · Tennis legend

I don't know!

And Kutuzova is hardly the next big thing in tennis like Caro or Pavlyuchenkova. There are probably 30 other girls born after 1988 who deserve it more.

I guess that the LTA/AELTC expects her to dazzle us with hitherto unsuspected grass prowess and storm to the title.

PockyTastic · Futures level

Perebiyniss is also a surprise as although she is a good doubles player she is hardly a superstar in singles. Also why give a wild card when she clearly doesn't care too much about grass as she has chosen to play in Barcelona this week on clay rather than hone her grass court skills in Birmingham so she can use her WC well...

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Surely they have more chance of winning points if they go through qualies though. Most of our wild cards will probably lose in R1 of the main draw but could earn a lot of points in qualies and still have a chance in the main draw.

WC's are not always as useful as they seem?

Ratty · County player

Aren't you all rather missing the point? To answer Montana Doug in particular, one advantage we can guarantee from choosing "Ukrainia" over Katie O'Brien or Sarah Borwell is that there will be no mocking headlines about 16 Brit Wild Cards going out in the first round. A major issue for the LTA new management.

I wish Katie, for example, all the best, but she's had 3 wild cards to the Wimbledon main draw already, and has lost in straight sets in the first round every time (yeah she drew Clijsters one year, but that's life). What's the point of giving her another wild card? If she was going to "make it", she shouldn't need one anymore.

I would guess that most people agree with me - certainly the LTA and AELTC do - apart of course from the diehard fanatic "fans" on this board.

Salmon · Tennis legend

The press?? Haha, the press will cook up anything when they want to have a go at you.

There may just be articles like "Just four British players were considered worthy of giving wild cards this year, underlining the sad state of British women's tennis".

Is the aim of the LTA producing top 100 players or pleasing the press? It's a known fact that most tennis reporters in GB know nothing of the game. Aren't we going downhill if we are trying to please them?

And even if it had been so that it would have saved the "mocking headlines", why give it to Pavlyuchenkova or Kutuzova or De Bakker? Why not to the next person in line for a direct entry?

Jack · Intermediate Club Player

I could not agree with you anymore, ratty. The fact is people like katie, mel, anne and sarah etc... do not deserve the wildcards because all 4 have shown no signs of progression since last year. The only women in Great Britain who have a good chance of making the top 100 by next year and therefore worthy of a wildcard is Naomi and Georgie, unfortunately Georgie is injured.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Yes... Mel, Anne and Kate have done nothing in the last year.

Unlike Kutuzova, who has bagged ten titles in the past twelve months, isn't it?

Happycynic · Pro player

Well, on the one hand being in qualies give you an excellent chance of 15 points for a Q1 win
In ranking terms, this is much better than a near certain R1 defeat (2 points). That said, should you get a R1 win, you are shooting up the rankings (probably 50 or so places if you are ranked 200)

All that said, with the parlace (Sp?) state of finances of women tennis players out of the top 150, methinks many of them will be in real financial hardship not getting a MD WC. Big money loss.

Not quite fair to say Mel and Katie have achieved nothing in the last year. Not much in the last 6 months, but 10 months ago Mel was on a roll.

The qualies WC are a mystery to me. Surely some of our players can beat top 300 ones? Jade W or Jade C have a chance.

Tara is too soon for a WC, much as I think she has a future. And Anna P can hold her own up there I think.