British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

Var wrote:

---

JonH wrote:

---

Var wrote:

---

JonH wrote:

---

Var wrote:

---

Dan posted on Insta as expected. Post about giving up Washington tournament to play doubles at Olympics for GB with Andy. My worry from this is I saw some terrible comments about one of the Brits that got a wildcard MD, I hope the trolls dont take it out on them. Despicable.

---

 Thanks Var - I dont have an insta account (dont do social media - Id be ok if I was under 16!) Im afraid and cant get to the comments. Any chance you are able to copy and paste what he says into a post here? Thanks if you can! 

---

 

---

 Hi Var - not sure it copied across sadly, but thanks anyway! 

---

 Sorry.

---

 No worries!!

OK, I've woken up this morning as mad as ever about in particular Billy not getting a MD WC.

As I've said I would have given one to Dan too but I understand some arguments against one for him. What I just don't get at all is Billy not getting one, given his ranking around other GB WCs and well ahead of Felix and Harry ( and yes, of course no-one should be taking it out on these 2 fine progressing players ). FWIW Billy is live GB # 4.

I have read no-one here even try to justify Billy's exclusion and the spuculation seems just to be about age ( I took it CD had tongue firmly in cheek when mentioning age and '"northern" ).

This ( my gawd ) 31 yo is clearly a relatively late bloomer with a climb through the rankings and history on the road that should serve as an inspiration to many out on say the ITF circuit that you can make it, never too old - cough.. Given a MD WC last year ( and it's not as if he had been stacking up Wimbledon MD WCs ) he did win a MD match.

Sorry, to my mind I can say no other than I think that Billy's exclusion is a disgrace.

indiana wrote:

---

OK, I've woken up this morning as mad as ever about in particular Billy not getting a MD WC.

As I've said I would have given one to Dan too but I understand some arguments against one for him. What I just don't get at all is Billy not getting one, given his ranking around other GB WCs and well ahead of Felix and Harry ( and yes, of course no-one should be taking it out on these 2 fine progressing players ). FWIW Billy is live GB # 4.

I have read no-one here even try to justify Billy's exclusion and the spuculation seems just to be about age ( I took it CD had tongue firmly in cheek when mentioning age and '"northern" ).

This ( my gawd ) 31 yo is clearly a relatively late bloomer with a climb through the rankings and history on the road that should serve as an inspiration to many out on say the ITF circuit that you can make it, never too old - cough.. Given a MD WC last year ( and it's not as if he had been stacking up Wimbledon MD WCs ) he did win a MD match.

Sorry, to my mind I can say no other than I think that Billy's exclusion is a disgrace.

---

 Definitely with you on this, Indy. It makes no sense for all those reasons and others. Best Billy can do now is show them in qualies next week (someone said he would be seeded?) and get a place in that field. He should be able to do it, I think, obviously depends on draw. 

As an aside, I see Stan W has withdrawn from Mallorca for personal reasons. I don't know whether that puts Wimbledon in doubt at all - watch this space as to whether that wildcard comes free over the weekend?

Does anyone know, at what point does a wildcard withdrawal go back to another wildcard replacement or revert to the next alt in line? If Stan withdraws and does so after the qualies draw is made, could one of the Brits still get a wildcard (or Monfils as another name) at that point (eg Billy or Dan?)

PS Billy is from Nottingham, right?

I guess for CD, that is a Northerner!! Evo is Birmingham, so ditto?! Liam is Manc - so v ditto to CD!

For me, I will count Liam as a fellow Northerner (wrong side of the Pennines though) but no one is ever going to let me count Billy or Evo a Northerners - confirmed Midlanders, IMO!

Stircrazy wrote:

---

JonH wrote:

---

PS Billy is from Nottingham, right?

I guess for CD, that is a Northerner!! Evo is Birmingham, so ditto?! Liam is Manc - so v ditto to CD!

For me, I will count Liam as a fellow Northerner (wrong side of the Pennines though) but no one is ever going to let me count Billy or Evo a Northerners - confirmed Midlanders, IMO!

---

He was born in Nottingham & supports the Tricky Trees, but I think he regards himself as a proud Manxman - from his ATP bio: 

• Began playing tennis aged five in the Isle of Man at Castle Town Tennis Club with his dad most nights after school.
  
  
• First coach was Ian Watson at Albany Tennis Club. Watson helped him until age 12 alongside Harris father.
  
  
• Moved to Bisham Abbey in England for two years to train with the best players his age before returning to the Isle of Man to finish his GCSEs.

---

 That's right, forgot the Isle of Man bit - mmm, not sure I would count Manxmen as Northerners, maybe honorary Northerners! Definitely not Southerners!

www.wimbledon.com/pdf/update/referees/2026/QS_Entries.pdf

Looking at the entry list, Jay would be next in with one more withdrawal, even though he is there with a wild card - so he wouldnt need his wildcard and then there would be 4 going free.

So all 4 could get one?

Have I got that correct re Jay?

So, as we stand ( finally unless maybe if say Stan drops out in the next couple of days ) we have from the Brits, with Jay a Q DE and all 4 play-off semi finalists receiving Q WCs :

9 MD entries ( 3 DEs + 6 WCs )
13 Q entries ( 5 DEs + 8 WCs )

20 of our top 25 ranked on Monday will have made Wimbledon MD or Q. The other 5 are the 4 seeds from the play-offs ( Alastair, Charles, Giles, and Hamish ) who all didn't make it and will now all be in Eastbourne Q, plus George L, presumaly injured. The other 2 with Q WCs are Mark Ceban and Oliver Bonding.