Venus Williams, Andy Murray lead initial Wimbledon wild card selections
Carlos Alcaraz and Francesca Jones are also set to make their main-draw debuts at the grass-court major.
WATCH: Managing Editor of Tennis.com Ed McGrogan discusses the switch from clay to grass.
On Wednesday, the All England Club announced its initial list of Wimbledon wild cards, with former champions Venus Williams and Andy Murray headlining the selections. Here’s a look at five notable competitors receiving tickets to the main draw.
Venus Williams:
The American, who turns 41 on Thursday, has triumphed in singles five times at The Championships. Could it be her final appearance? Venus is 2-7 on the year and has seen her ranking dip to No. 103. The last time she was at Wimbledon, the former world No. 1 was sent packing in the first round by then 16-year-old Coco Gauff.
Andy Murray:
A two-time winner who ended Great Britain’s 77-year wait for a home grown men’s champion in 2013, Murray has not played the singles event at SW19 in four years. In 2018, he missed the grass-court major due to injury and in 2019, the timeline from his hip resurfacing was too aggressive, limiting the Scot's participation to men's and mixed doubles.
Francesca Jones:
The 20-year-old made an inspiring run in January when she qualified into her first major main draw. With eight fingers and seven toes, Jones has never let her differences hold back her ambitions. In 2019, when she lost in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying, Jones was ranked No. 301. She’s currently No. 194.
Carlos Alcaraz:
Standing at No. 141 to begin his year, Alcaraz has nearly halved his ranking thanks to a third-round run at Roland Garros and maiden ATP semifinal in Marbella. The world No. 78 has never played a tour-level match on grass, and is not currently slated to compete in Mallorca or Eastbourne next week.
Jack Draper:
Set to make his main-draw debut at a Grand Slam event, the Sutton native is already proving to be a valid choice. On Monday, Draper scored his first ATP win when he upset 23rd-ranked Jannik Sinner at Queen’s Club. Two days later, the 19-year-old followed it up with another win in a pair of tiebreaks over Alexander Bublik.
Other main-draw wild card recipients include Katie Boulter, Jay Clarke, Harriet Dart, Liam Broady, Jodie Burrage and Samantha Murray Sharan. There are three men’s places and two women’s spots left to award.