Organisers face flak over Wimbledon wildcard rule

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

RE: Wimbledon WC's

Count Zero · Tennis legend

the times have a mini article on the wc's

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Count Zero wrote:

the times have a mini article on the wc's

Not much of an article though, as it doesn't have a lot of substance behind it (and mentioning Karanusic and not Vassallo doesn't make any sense)

At least it gives those who don't know what is going on some information about it and hoepfully they can see what a shambles this is as well.

And still waiting for Neil Harman to write up his opinion on what has happened with the WC's (and judging by his comment in the Net Post, I think he's not really too impressed by what's happened).

WelshPhil · Social player

I haven't posted here for a while, but I am so amazed at the wild card fiasco that I thought I would add this

Why on earth would a british organisation (any one not just tennis) want to hand £61,500 pounds to rival overseas organisation when their own people are struggling for funds.

Here was an opportunity to fund 6 players for the next, I don't know, 3 months perhaps, in thier overseas endeavours. Surely there are 6 British players that are worth that.

It just doesn't make any sense at all to me. Who do I need to write to to express my disdain.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Just an addition to the complete muddle and lack of clear thinking on all of this: when they decided not to allocate the last two wild cards, Spadea and Ascione were taken in as next on the Alt list. Now, are they officially classed as wild cards? According to the entry lists on both steveg and MTF, which are taken from the ATP Playerzone, they are down as wild cards.

But this means that if they lose in the first round they get zero points, whereas the people further down the alt list who are now in because of withdrawals, get 5 points for the first round. . .

Complete mess. cry

-- Edited by Madeline at 10:50, 2008-06-17

mjd · Challenger qualifying

The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article4152447.ece

June 17, 2008

Organisers face flak over Wimbledon wildcard rule

On the day that the two British players whose rankings last week were good enough to be granted a place in Wimbledons main draw fell below the mark at which they would have been considered, so Brian Dabul, an Argentinian who has never played on grass, was summoned to play in the best event in the world. It is all a bit of a shambles.

Jamie Baker and Alex Bogdanovic - who play in this weeks Slazenger Open in Nottingham - were on the right side of the ATP ranking of 250 selected three months ago by the LTA as that below which it would not recommend anyone received a wild card. The All England Club accepted the LTAs criteria, only to find a week on that Baker is at No 260 and Bogdanovic No 271. Josh Goodall, who now splits them as the new British No 3, is playing in the qualifying draw, where he won his first round at Roehampton yesterday.

Now that Carlos Moyà, of Spain, and two Argentinians, Juan Monaco and Juan Ignacio Chela, have withdrawn from the main draw, Wimbledon is forced to trawl the player list for replacements, two of whom are Dabul, a left-hander who spends his entire year on clay, and Roko Karanusic, of Croatia. In effect, Wimbledon has used only four wild cards into the main draw rather than the usual eight.

This is not straightforward, Andrew Jarrett, the Wimbledon referee, said.

john · Top national player

Does that make us hawks then?

Edit: I misread, I don't think we're hawks or doves. Maybe we're eagles?

-- Edited by john at 15:27, 2008-06-17

Count Zero · Tennis legend

yeah the quote doesnt seem to quite work for me.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

I think they are trying to justify only giving 2 WC's to the main draw by saying they relaxed the rules to give Eaton and Phillips qualifying WC's

Count Zero · Tennis legend

yeah thats very generous of them.

steven · Tennis legend

To me, it sounds like a quote from someone who let themselves get painted into a corner by the LTA and/or the media and is trying desperately to defend the indefensible.

Shhh · Challenger level

Quote from the Times;

Wimbledon later confirmed that it was awarding only four wild cards into the main men's draw, the first time it has felt inclined to such swingeing action. The option of inviting four further wild cards was declined as it was felt there were insufficient deserving cases to warrant deviating from the rankings, the club said.

There have been embittered reactions from those British players whose form in the past few months would, in years past, have guaranteed a place. Josh Goodall and Ken Skupski, two players inside the top ten in Britain, have risen more than 100 places in the rankings this year, Skupski earned a wild card into qualifying and Goodall, who has become the No3 in the domestic rankings for the first time, received conflicting messages as to whether or not he would be awarded one into the main draw. He did not and is a deeply confused young man.

Sad.

Drew · Jun 19, 2008

Draper better take note..a complete shambles...feel for Josh.

Akhenaten · Pro player

I'm don't agree with the decision to not give Josh a WC. I think he should have received one, but the rising 100 places this year is a bit misleading.
He has dropped from 227 to 266 from this time last year to now.

Ratty · County player

Ratty wrote:
Anyone else think that Wild Cards should be scrapped altogether?

I see that chaps are getting excited about Wild Cards again.

Would you think I was being a tw*t if I staked my claim to be the FIRST person - YES, BEFORE A131 & INDIANA!!!! - on the board to express the once-upon-a-time heretical opinion that they weren't, er, a very good idea.

Pithy and straight to the point ... and on 24 April 2008.

smile