British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

the addict · Tennis legend

RE: Wimbledon wildcards (women)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Nice articles about the wildcards - even the Daily Mail is quite positive, without going over the top

www.wtatennis.com/news/4289650/former-champ-kvitova-three-british-teenagers-receive-wimbledon-wild-cards

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-14824607/Britain-big-things-Wimbledon-16-year-old-main-draw-wildcards-Championships.html

GBJ · County player

Little 6min tennis update here www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002dnm3 on BBC five live yesterday (skip to 25min) including report on the wild card announcement - always nice to hear some coverage of those we follow year round on the main stream media

telstar · Club Coach

So a player world ranked 919 is parachuted into the main draw while one ranked 499 has to play pre qualifying! i cannot share the general jubilation!

the addict · Tennis legend

telstar wrote:
So a player world ranked 919 is parachuted into the main draw while one ranked 499 has to play pre qualifying! i cannot share the general jubilation!

Alice is 26 and probably won't get into the top 200 now (but you never know, some players do develop later). Mika is only 16 and hasn't played many ranking tournaments, but has the potential. Perhaps main draw will prove a step too far, but certainly worth a WC of some kind based on performances recently.

Blue_Belle · County player

the addict wrote:
telstar wrote:
So a player world ranked 919 is parachuted into the main draw while one ranked 499 has to play pre qualifying! i cannot share the general jubilation!
Alice is 26 and probably won't get into the top 200 now (but you never know, some players do develop later). Mika is only 16 and hasn't played many ranking tournaments, but has the potential. Perhaps main draw will prove a step too far, but certainly worth a WC of some kind based on performances recently.

Adding that because of her age, she has limited number of tournaments she can play anyway.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Just for info and context, I believe that the prizemoney this year is:

QR1 loss - £15.5 k

QR2 loss - £26 k

FQR loss - £41.5k

9vicman · Futures qualifying

Rich2310 wrote:
10 in total already is great to see. Certainly helps having three women in the worlds top 50. It doesn't seem that long a go we barely had one.

It doesn't seem that long ago when the British women's No. 1 barely cracked the Top 200. I may be showing my age.

9vicman · Futures qualifying

PaulM wrote:
Agree CD. Maddie is the only player I think feels 'missing' in the round, but then I'm used to years of players ranked 150ish not getting doubles wildcards lol.

Yes feel sorry for Maddie too, although one wild card left. Presumably she would have entered the event with someone though?

I wonder how doubles wild cards work. Do the LTA tell certain players they are likely to get a wild card if they play together, or does everyone just enter knowing that wild cards are awarded to all British pairs? Can't see Barnett and Silva being forced to play together.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Harriet and Maia were actually the final direct acceptance so there is an additional wildcard floating about.

Emma and Katie did not enter - possible that one wildcard will be held back in case they decide they do want to play.

On the alternates list are:

#11 Maddy and Lily
#13 Naiktha and Tara
#15 Freya and Amelia
#16 EWS (with Korpatsch)

the addict · Tennis legend

Liv and Tereza are one of three pairs on a CR of 61, with the 16th pair at CR59. But that is singles and doubles combined, and I make them 9th on doubles alone.

Blue_Belle · County player

Petra Kvitova will retire at the USO

telstar · Club Coach

Blue_Belle wrote:
the addict wrote:
telstar wrote:
So a player world ranked 919 is parachuted into the main draw while one ranked 499 has to play pre qualifying! i cannot share the general jubilation!
Alice is 26 and probably won't get into the top 200 now (but you never know, some players do develop later). Mika is only 16 and hasn't played many ranking tournaments, but has the potential. Perhaps main draw will prove a step too far, but certainly worth a WC of some kind based on performances recently.
Adding that because of her age, she has limited number of tournaments she can play anyway.

Yes Alice is 26 and very unlikely to make top 200 but persistence should be rewarded. If she wins three matches in the play off then the 499th best player in the world will receive £15,000. The 919th best player in the world is already guaranteed £66,000 without lifting a racquet. What encouragement does that give Alice to continue her gradual progress. Without the Gillans of this world there would be nobody for the juniors to measure their progress against? Maddie Brooks is 122 in the world in doubles but doesn't get a dubs wild card. Partnered with Lily Miyasaki (293) they were deemed inferior to Hannah and Mika with their combined dubs ranking of 2,030. Tara Moore and Naiktha Bains may have a place in the singles wild card comp but they would both say that they were better at doubles as their combined ranking of 421 would seem to prove. Again what message is given to Maddie, Tara and Naiktha? Doubles is their only hope of progress in tennis. They need the money to even continue. Mika and Hannah are good singles players. I doubt if they would even notice if they didn't get a dubs wild card. The LTA's preoccupation with giving wild cards to juniors is detrimental to not only the overall good of the game but also to basic justice!

jb288 · Satellite level

I thought the AELTC picked the WCs, not the LTA?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I don't agree, telstar

Wildcards are not about ranking per se

The vast majority of players are accepted on ranking - it's simple, it's clear, it's merited

But wildcards are different. They are not for players whose ranking comes next in line. They are to support the broader and more long-term programme of the federation - as well as to provide human interest stories/entertainment to spectators and TV watchers.

There is justice in this because it's always been the stated goal

There is also a surfeit of players - all the players of foreign countries without Grand Slams are still playing at age 26 without wildcards. Just look down the WTA rankings - lots and lots of players, all carrying on.

Indeed, maybe having youngsters playing on TV will do a far better job at drawing in new young players, than having a woman of 26, maybe that will be more useful than keeping a player to pad out the ranks

PS This is nothing against Alice whom I've had a soft spot for, since she was about 20)

PPS I agree that the federation should provide an industry that supports all level of players - and I don't think the LTA does a very good job at that. But that's a different question.