British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

the addict · Tennis legend

Weeks 27 & 28 - The Championships, Wimbledon (Womens') (grass) - Doubles

PaulM · Tennis legend

Mika and Hannah really not getting much kindness from the draw gods today!

Can see a couple of wins in this lot, it's a shame Liv and Teresa just missed out on a top 8 seeding, but their route to round 3 looks ok. Don't think they'll beat Andreeva/Schnaider, but maybe Emily and Heather will have a magical day and somehow put the Russians out in round 1...

-- Edited by PaulM on Friday 27th of June 2025 12:10:47 PM

the addict · Tennis legend

Liv and Tereza were 18 ranking places away from Kedermetova and Mertens so it will take a bit to catch them - especially as Liv and Tereza are defending 240 points from last year (although Mertens has 780 from the SF dropping off). But at least they are seeded and really ought to reach the third round again.

I'm hopeful of first round wins for Harriet /Maia, Liv/Tereza and Jodie/Sonay - but doubles can be unpredictable at this level so you never know, especially as so many pairs are in the draw because of their singles rankings.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

www.wimbledon.com/pdf/Wildcard_Announcements_2025.pdf

So Dart and Lumsden were down as wildcards to start with ?

But then moved up and got in as of right?

But the final now two wildcard slots were not used?

And went to next in line?

the addict · Tennis legend

Yes, Dart and Lumsden got in without a WC as second last entry followed by Tomljanovic/Tomova. So actually only the one WC was wasted and theirs wasn't needed.

https://www.wimbledon.com/pdf/update/referees/2025/LD_Entries.pdf

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

the addict wrote:
Yes, Dart and Lumsden got in without a WC as second last entry followed by Tomljanovic/Tomova. So actually only the one WC was wasted and theirs wasn't needed.
https://www.wimbledon.com/pdf/update/referees/2025/LD_Entries.pdf

But if Harriet/Maia ended up getting in as second last entry that means their wildcard was freed up

And so there were two - theirs and the other one that hadn't been used in the first place

Doesn't that make two wasted?

the addict · Tennis legend

No, because there was only one space left after they got in directly. If one had been allocated before the draw then T & T wouldn't have got in. If their WC had been allocated to somenone else then they would still be first alternates. All a matter of timing.

the addict · Tennis legend

OK, I'll take it all back - the entry list was updated yesterday and supercedes the one I downloaded. Sevastova and Wickmayer also got in as last entries, although I'm not sure when they got in.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Well, I'm not complaining about wildcards this year

But it does seem they could have used one of those two wildcard slots for Maddie, then - she's so close to top-100 - it would seem a very good shout

PaulM · Tennis legend

So Harriet and Maia were the last direct acceptance when the entries closed. That meant they did not need a wildcard, so it was 'handed back' to the AELTC along with the one remaining spare which wasn't awarded in the initial allocations.

A couple of hours later the entry list was updated to simply allow the next 2 pairs in - Tomljanovic/Tomova and Sevestova/Wickmayer.

So yes, there were two doubles wildcards available still but they went unused, instead they could have gone to Maddie/Lily or Millie/Freya say.

indiana · Tennis legend

Is it not from memory an AELTC / LTA tradition not to award at least one seemingly pretty obvious women's doubles WC while not even using up some?

Madeleine ( GB #6, WR 122 ) seems to be this year's nominee. I take it that she is fit and well? ( if maybe feeling less well now ). I'm sure a willing and fairly able partner could be found ( and yes, Lily does seem a fair shout ).

-- Edited by indiana on Friday 27th of June 2025 05:08:37 PM

the addict · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Is it not from memory an AELTC / LTA tradition not to award at least one seemingly pretty obvious women's doubles WC while not even using up some?

Madeleine ( GB #6, WR 122 ) seems to be this year's nominee. I take it that she is fit and well? ( if maybe feeling less well now ).

Madeleine is top of the acceptance list for the doubles at the W75 in Bucharest this coming week. I guess she might have been told in advance.

9vicman · Futures qualifying

indiana wrote:
Is it not from memory an AELTC / LTA tradition not to award at least one seemingly pretty obvious women's doubles WC while not even using up some?

Madeleine ( GB #6, WR 122 ) seems to be this year's nominee. I take it that she is fit and well? ( if maybe feeling less well now ). I'm sure a willing and fairly able partner could be found ( and yes, Lily does seem a fair shout ).

-- Edited by indiana on Friday 27th of June 2025 05:08:37 PM

I've gone down a bit of a Wimbledon wild card rabbit hole as I hate the regular non awarding of wild cards which no other Slam has ever done. And Wimbledon has done on a regular basis. And for a doubles player ranked No. 122 when there are 128 players in the draw with no qualifying (as there used to be), it seems really mean.

And yet as recently as 2019, Wimbledon awarded three (yes, three) wild cards into the women's singles: Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Monica Niculescu (a prize if you remembered that one).

I do remember a period of wild card strictness when the LTA had come under fire for nearly all the players losing first round so they established specific criteria, but had forgotten that we had so few players that recently.

Of course it is a sign that the depth in quality of players has improved in recent years, so no question of not awarding eight singles wild cards this year.