Wimbledon 2021 WCs - women

PaulM · Tennis legend

Wimbledon 2021 WCs - women

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, it's good to see the LTA/AELTC being flexible and responding to the week's results.

(Might do for Anton too in the men's?)

And very happy for Naomi. Jodie is a good doubles player too, so that's fine.

With you Paul, in that the one thing that sticks in my craw is THREE unused quali cards.

To have a women's tennis industry that is SO weak that you can't even attribute your quali wildcards should be a cause of great shame to the authorities.

PaulM · Tennis legend

But I don't even think it is that weak CD (although it's certainly not very strong). It's just a weird approach, especially when qualies is not on the main site, has no crowd, and in normal times these spaces would be filled by pre-qualies winners ranked 400-700 anyway.

Do we know how Eastbourne wildcards have been distributed?

cya · Strong Club Player

Surely players like Emily Appleton , Lissey Barnett , Freya, Eliz Maloney could be given singles qualifying wildcards?.

the addict · Tennis legend

cya wrote:
Surely players like Emily Appleton , Lissey Barnett , Freya, Eliz Maloney could be given singles qualifying wildcards?.

I'm sure they could give out the spare QWC if they really wanted to, although not neccesarily to those players. Eliz might be worth a shout (and is the only one in the country right now as far as I know), but I don't think any of them would stand a chance of winning a match. And anyway, Emily W-S, Naomi,and Beth are ranked higher than Freya and Emily Ap. Pity to see them go to waste, but other than some promising juniors mentioned earlier, I can't see anyone really deserves one at the moment.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

PaulM wrote:
But I don't even think it is that weak CD (although it's certainly not very strong). It's just a weird approach, especially when qualies is not on the main site, has no crowd, and in normal times these spaces would be filled by pre-qualies winners ranked 400-700 anyway.

Do we know how Eastbourne wildcards have been distributed?

I didn't mean that it IS that weak.

What I meant is, the AELTC/LTA are effectively announcing that it's that weak.

They are publicly saying the depth of our female tennis is SO cr*p that we can't even find players who deserve quali places.

And as they are responsible for said depth of tennis, they should be very ashamed.

dodrade · Satellite level

PaulM wrote:
Really welcome news. *BUT* we now have 3 unused qualy wildcards which could easily have been distributed to players who could make a competitive outing and don't receive LTA funding (or just do a quick informal play-off at the NTC - it's not hard!).

I had half expected Jodie and Katie B to get a late doubles wildcard. Happy to see Naomi now in, but wonder if this raises questions about Katie's confidence on her fitness to do both. Although I have to say I have no issues at all with someone who plays no doubles whatsoever being left off the list.

Didn't the two Katies play together a few years ago?

I guess Katie S might still have a chance of a MDWC although perhaps she needs the match practice via qualifying more.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
PaulM wrote:
But I don't even think it is that weak CD (although it's certainly not very strong). It's just a weird approach, especially when qualies is not on the main site, has no crowd, and in normal times these spaces would be filled by pre-qualies winners ranked 400-700 anyway.

Do we know how Eastbourne wildcards have been distributed?
I didn't mean that it IS that weak.
What I meant is, the AELTC/LTA are effectively announcing that it's that weak.
They are publicly saying the depth of our female tennis is SO cr*p that we can't even find players who deserve quali places.
And as they are responsible for said depth of tennis, they should be very ashamed.

Sorry, misunderstood you CD. Got you now - absolutely right.

indiana · Tennis legend

Trouble is if you start bringing such as Freya and maybe Emily App too into a qwc conversation then you are shouting out very weak and space filling. That would be gifts for sod all. And very sorry for off the court issues that Freya for one has certainly suffered.

But yes, younger players such as Kylie and maybe Millie Bissett if fit. And yes possibly Eliz.

Andy Parker · Strong Club Player

I am going to sound unusually unpatriotic here, but I think if you go below a certain standard for selecting players for qualifying, then it becomes a bit of a joke. You allow a player in who then loses very heavily in straight sets to virtually anybody they are paired against in the first round and I think that is probably on balance a bad thing.

I thought they got the cut off right and now Emma has a wildcard, I feel that they have got the balance just right. Katie Swan is unlucky not to have made it directly into the tournament, but it is really her lack of matches since February that has caused the problem, and although I rate her very highly, if you aren't playing, it is difficult then for the committee to give her a direct slot. So all in all, the correct decisions for me this year, and it is seldom, if ever, that I would say that about the Wimbledon wildcards.

the addict · Tennis legend

Article in today's Times by Stuart Fraser about the main draw wildcards - nothing that regular posters won't already know though !

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/from-liam-broady-to-katie-boulter-meet-this-years-wimbledon-wildcards-kkztchnx7

PaulM · Tennis legend

Surely Samsonova needs to get the final one!

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

You'd like to think so, but with Bolt getting one earlier, that one remaining WC was clearly meant for Rodionova had she won, and the fact that they went 'not used' earlier in the week perhaps suggests that they weren't looking elsewhere. I hope she gets it, but won't be shocked if it ends up being not used, and Kozlova gets in. Guess we'll find out soon.

She's now ranked in the 60's, was the 3rd alt to begin with, and the two above her are using PRs anyway.

emmsie69 · ATP level

Maybe it's time to force the Grand Slams to save 1 or 2 WC for players that rise up the rankings significantly in the weeks before.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Confirmed Samsonova got the wildcard. Well deserved.