Emma Raducanu Joins Elite Group with Wildcard Entry

Emma Raducanu, former British number one, has earned a wildcard entry to compete at Wimbledon next month. The 21-year-old joins a select group of four Grand Slam champions who have received such exemptions for the women’s singles. This esteemed list includes Japan’s Naomi Osaka, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki and Germany’s Angelique Kerber, the 2018 Wimbledon titleholder.

The All England Club extends prestigious invitations known as wildcards to players who do not have a high enough ranking to qualify directly for the main draw. For Raducanu, this opportunity comes as she continues her comeback journey after missing much of last year including Wimbledon, due to wrist and ankle surgeries. Similarly, Osaka, Kerber and Wozniacki have returned to competitive tennis within the past year following periods away from the tour due to maternity.

In addition to Emma Raducanu, the All England Club has awarded wildcards to several other British players for the women’s singles, including Heather Watson, Fran Jones and Lily Miyazaki. On the men’s side, they have allocated all seven initial wildcards to British players, highlighting the country’s strong representation. Liam Broady, a consistent performer who reached the third round in both of the past two years, leads this group.

Among the newcomers receiving wildcards for the men’s singles are last year’s boys’ champion Henry Searle and Billy Harris, who recently achieved a significant victory at Queen’s. Jan Choinski, Jacob Fearnley, Arthur Fery and Paul Jubb complete the lineup of wildcard recipients. Wimbledon announced these wildcards on Wednesday, setting the stage for the prestigious Grand Slam tournament commencing on 1 July.