Defending Queen’s champion Tatjana Maria said she was surprised not to receive a wild card into this year’s HSBC Championships main draw, forcing her to come through qualifying.
The German secured her place in the draw by defeating Britain’s Lily Miyazaki and then Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova in qualifying on Sunday after not being awarded a singles wild card by tournament organisers.
Maria returned to west London as defending champion after winning the inaugural women’s event at Queen’s last year. The 37-year-old, who is ranked world No. 54, said she expected her title run to be taken into consideration when wild card decisions were made. Last year’s title was one of the most remarkable stories of the grass-court season, with Maria becoming the oldest woman to win a WTA 500 title after arriving at the tournament as a qualifier.
“With all the respect of what I did last year, I was pretty sure to get a wild card or I was hoping to get a wild card because I did it last year,” Maria said at a news conference Monday. “It was not like five years ago, it was last year and especially this tournament.
“To come back as a champion, I hoped and I thought I would get a wild card. I was surprised.
“When I got the message from Laura Robson, the tournament director, saying all the wild cards would go to the British players, which I understand of course, but as a champion, it’s tough for me.
“I thought I deserved a wild card.”
Wild cards provide direct entry into the main draw for players who would not otherwise qualify automatically. The Lawn Tennis Association, which governs the sport in Britain, awarded the women’s singles wild cards to British players, including Katie Boulter, Francesca Jones, Harriet Dart and Mika Stojsavljevic, as part of its player-development strategy.
Maria, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, is a mother of two who continues to compete full-time on tour at 37 and said her longevity and achievements at Queen’s contributed to her belief that she had earned consideration for a wild card.
She also argued that defending champions should receive special consideration if their ranking is not high enough to guarantee direct entry.
“Yesterday, I wanted to win also for my girls to stay as long as possible because they really love to be here and they love the tournament,” she added.
“The response from everybody around was really huge when they knew I didn’t get the wild card.
“Even a lot of members here came to me and said, ‘Really, we don’t understand why you didn’t get the wild card.’ It was super nice.”
Maria insisted she is not concerned about the ranking implications of having to qualify and remains confident in her ability to earn points throughout the grass-court season. “I know my tennis and I am always there and can beat one of the best players,” she said.
An LTA spokesperson said: “The LTA owns and invests in staging these events for the benefit of the British game as a whole — so fans can see world-class international players from around the world, and support our British players, but also so British players are afforded the playing opportunities to progress their careers and climb the rankings.
“We have seen British success at these events, and breakthrough wins, so there is clear value in giving British players these development opportunities.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Tennis, Women’s Tennis
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