The All England Lawn Tennis Club revealed its initial list of wild-cards on Wednesday, with former Grand Slam champions Emma Raducanu, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki among those selected for the women’s singles. However, former World No. 1 and 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep did not make the cut, although there is still one spot available. Halep’s doping ban may have played a role in her exclusion.
Raducanu, who made history as the first British woman to win a Grand Slam title since 1977 at the 2021 US Open, has been making a comeback after undergoing wrist and ankle surgeries in 2023. Last week, she reached her first semi-final since 2022 in Nottingham, raising her ranking to 165. Former World No. 1 Kerber, the 2018 Wimbledon champion, has also been in good form this year, reaching the Last 16 of two WTA 1000 events.
Osaka and Wozniacki, who both returned from maternity leave this season, have seen improvements in their rankings. Osaka reached a grass-court quarter-final last week and will be playing at Wimbledon for the first time since 2019, while Wozniacki will be returning to SW19 after a hiatus since 2019.
Other players receiving wild-cards into the women’s singles main draw include Heather Watson, Francesca Jones, and Yuriko ‘Lily’ Miyazaki. Questions remain about Halep’s chances of receiving a wild-card, with Wimbledon officials avoiding a direct answer about it.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Iga Swiatek as she looks to complete a French Open-Wimbledon double and win her first title at SW19. Prize money for this year’s Wimbledon has reached a record £50m, making it one of the highest prize purses in Grand Slam history. The men’s and women’s champions will each receive £2.7m, an increase from last year. Ticket demand for this year’s Championships is at an all-time high, with plans to enhance the fan experience through a new Activation Zone for queueing fans.
The Club is also in discussions about potentially implementing a domestic violence policy following recent events involving players at other Grand Slam tournaments. Plans are in place to celebrate Andy Murray’s career at Wimbledon, should this year be his final appearance at the tournament. Centre Court matches will continue to start at 1.30pm local time, despite concerns from players about late finishes for the final matches of the day. Reigning champion Novak Djokovic is expected to miss this year’s Championships due to knee surgery.
