I can't see Marni listed on the official Wimbledon site as a wildcard for the main singles draw, but they've update the doubles list, as others mentioned, so my guess is that no decision has yet been made. If she does enter the Eastbourne tournament, you would think that means she has been bumped up to the main draw though.

They have to make the decision very soon - before the qualifiers start, so we should hear by Sunday evening or Monday morning at the latest, I think. If the final place is given to a Brit, then Marni and Sonay were the main contenders, but there is a real chance that they could give it to the Ilkley winner or simply not use it and roll it over to the next direct acceptance.

One effect of Marni potentially being bumped up is that Katie Swan or Naiktha might then get a place in the Wimbledon Qualifying draw as a wildcard replacement for Marni. Given Katie S's pedigree, it might help sway the committee in favour of moving Marni upwards.

It will be interesting to see what happens, anyway.

-- Edited by Andy Parker on Saturday 22nd of June 2024 09:43:32 PM

Andy Parker wrote:

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I can't see Marni listed on the official Wimbledon site as a wildcard for the main singles draw, but they've update the doubles list, as others mentioned, so my guess is that no decision has yet been made. If she does enter the Eastbourne tournament, you would think that means she has been bumped up to the main draw though.

They have to make the decision very soon - before the qualifiers start, so we should hear by Sunday evening or Monday morning at the latest, I think. If the final place is given to a Brit, then Marni and Sonay were the main contenders, but there is a real chance that they could give it to the Ilkley winner or simply not use it and roll it over to the next direct acceptance.

One effect of Marni potentially being bumped up is that Katie Swan or Naiktha might then get a place in the Wimbledon Qualifying draw as a wildcard replacement for Marni. Given Katie S's pedigree, it might help sway the committee in favour of moving Marni upwards.

It will be interesting to see what happens, anyway.

-- Edited by Andy Parker on Saturday 22nd of June 2024 09:43:32 PM

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 I don't think Marni was ever getting bumped up

Everyone assumed it because of the erroneous announcement about the wildcards at Eastbourne

But that was just a c*ck up - and not just re Marni either - left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing

I'm 99.9% sure that Marni is in Wimbly qualis - as it says on the updated wildcard list - and there's one left for main draw which (probably) will go to Marino 

Coup Droit wrote:

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Andy Parker wrote:

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I can't see Marni listed on the official Wimbledon site as a wildcard for the main singles draw, but they've update the doubles list, as others mentioned, so my guess is that no decision has yet been made. If she does enter the Eastbourne tournament, you would think that means she has been bumped up to the main draw though.

They have to make the decision very soon - before the qualifiers start, so we should hear by Sunday evening or Monday morning at the latest, I think. If the final place is given to a Brit, then Marni and Sonay were the main contenders, but there is a real chance that they could give it to the Ilkley winner or simply not use it and roll it over to the next direct acceptance.

One effect of Marni potentially being bumped up is that Katie Swan or Naiktha might then get a place in the Wimbledon Qualifying draw as a wildcard replacement for Marni. Given Katie S's pedigree, it might help sway the committee in favour of moving Marni upwards.

It will be interesting to see what happens, anyway.

-- Edited by Andy Parker on Saturday 22nd of June 2024 09:43:32 PM

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 I don't think Marni was ever getting bumped up

Everyone assumed it because of the erroneous announcement about the wildcards at Eastbourne

But that was just a c*ck up - and not just re Marni either - left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing

I'm 99.9% sure that Marni is in Wimbly qualis - as it says on the updated wildcard list - and there's one left for main draw which (probably) will go to Marino 

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 I'm a lot less than 99.9% sure. The Wimbledon Committee that decides the slots are a very independent bunch. Last year everyone assumed that Wickmayer would get one of the 2 slots because she won one of the 2 pre-Wimbledon tournaments that in previous years have then meant the winners were always given wildcards, but due to the strength in depth of the British game, the organisers chose to ignore the 33 year old Belgian in favour of an extra place for one of our own.

No criteria are ever given for who the committee chooses and the committee names are never made public, but if journalists do asking probing questions on this, they are told that the wildcards are given to promote British tennis and to promote spectator interest in the championships, so big names gain entry as well as Brits.

Will Marino get the final place, or will she, be like Wickmayer last year,, will it be judged that Marino although she has won Ilkley in insufficiently deserving of a place and that it should go to a Brit instead.

I think it is going to be a close call. Not giving Wickmayer a place last year was the first time that this happened, and that is why this decision is really interesting. My own guesses are that there is probably about a 50% chance that Marino gets the final place and probably about 40 per cent that it goes to either Marni or Sonay, with Katie S or Naiktha then getting a qualifying place. I think the odds of Wimbledon leaving the place as a Next Direct Acceptance are lower than usual, because of the high rankings of Marni and Sonay, who in other years would probably have been good enough to obtain wildcards.

Anyway the Committee are unpredictable and fiercely independent, doing whatever they believe is best, and the fact that the updated list does not show a Next Direct Acceptance yet, means that they almost certainly have still to meet to decide what to do. 

Their decision will be fascinating - not least because if Marino is not selected, then what happened to Wickmayer last year, will really show a clear shift in thinking and priorities.

-- Edited by Andy Parker on Saturday 22nd of June 2024 11:33:09 PM

Here's something I just thought of before going to bed (yes it does all sound a bit sad, doesn't it). I think that Fran got the 7th wildcard place because of the injury to Jodie B, as I think the international wildcards to Kerber, Osaka and Wozniaki had to be given - their requests were probably the strongest overseas ones that we have had for many years, and if you accept that, then I don't think it takes much to work out that Emma, Heather and Lily were probably in the queue ahead of Fran, because Fran's ranking is much lower than others.

Anyway if I then follow these thoughts to say that I think that Fran got the 7th wildcard place, then I think it is fair to assume that if Jodie B had been fit, that Fran would have then been in 8th place. The committee normally leave at least one slot free, to see who has won Ilkley or if any Brit without wildcard selection does amazingly in the week before the Wimbledon qualies.

If all of those things had happened, then I think the committee wouldn't be weighing up the merits of Sonay or Marni versus Marino, but it would then be a clear Fran versus Marino decision, and I think they would definitely choose Fran, because they would feel that her ranking and her results this year would merit a place.

Anyhow this I think encapsulates the dilemma for the committee - is there another Brit who has performed well enough to have a stronger case than Marino, and with Marni and Sonay doing quite well but nor amazingly well, I think it is a close call.

Seems odd, and against the spirit of WC playoffs, to put someone who lost in final round not just into qualifying but into main draw. Then Millie who beat Katie in WC playoffs would have the lesser prize. I could understand Katie going in qualis, though would feel unfair to Naikitha. I know last year when less pressure on places all four semi finalists did go into qualis without playing last match in playoffs.

We could see a while ago there would be competition for everyone this year, with various cohorts of players around all with varying and mostly good credentials. I would put Sonay up to MD then Katie S with qwc. If choosing GB, so if Marino doesn't get the WC.

Spireman wrote:

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Seems odd, and against the spirit of WC playoffs, to put someone who lost in final round not just into qualifying but into main draw. Then Millie who beat Katie in WC playoffs would have the lesser prize. I could understand Katie going in qualis, though would feel unfair to Naikitha. I know last year when less pressure on places all four semi finalists did go into qualis without playing last match in playoffs.


We could see a while ago there would be competition for everyone this year, with various cohorts of players around all with varying and mostly good credentials. I would put Sonay up to MD then Katie S with qwc. If choosing GB, so if Marino doesn't get the WC.

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I agree with your first paragraph. After being snubbed for a direct qualifying wild card it would add insult to injury to Millie to give Katie a MD WC when Millie had beaten her to get into qualifying.

I don't agree that its been clear for a while that there would be competition for the wild cards this year. Prior to the grass season I didn't see anyone other than how it pretty much panned out getting them, provided that Katie S was not going to return before Wimbledon. Everybody else would need to have good early grass season to bring themselves into consideration. Emily and Naiktha did have decent starts to the grass season but I've seen better performances than them been looked over in the past and at that time there were still no place for them in qualifying. Although I would absolutely have given Millie a QWC from just her college career alone (over a junior), I never expected the LTA or AELTC to, despite the success and that she's expected among many in college circles to be top 100 one day. Unlike the men, women's US college tennis is just not seen as a pathway by the decision makers over here. It was only her results in Birmingham that put her seriously in the frame and when I expected a WC to come her way. Her results in Surbiton and Notts may have brought her into the committee's discussion but they were not enough at that time to persuade them to give the WC.

Then Jodie pulled out, enabling Fran, backed up with her performance in Nottingham, to be promoted to the main draw and opening up a space for qualifying. That discussion would, I would have thought, have been between Emily, Millie and Naiktha, or it going unused. Frankly, I am still bemused how Emily was given the nod over Millie.

As for the remaining MD WC. I don't think anyone will be promoted from qualifying. It will be between Marino, Parks if she wins Gaiba or left unused. But I think the last couple of years (women last year and men this year) have shown there is a change in thinking on the committee about giving grass court winners a wild card. When Andrew Jarrett was referee it seemed it was important to him for the challenger winners to get a main draw wild card, but the recent leadership doesn't seem so inclined about rewarding them with a wild card.