42. WILD CARDS

There has been a lot of chat on social media recently about ‘Wild Cards’ and debates about who should be getting them and who maybe has had a few too many. So I thought a blog about ‘Wild Cards’ might be useful, especially for those readers who are new to the ‘Wild Card’ concept and don’t really know what they are and how they are awarded.

In summary, a ‘wild card’ (in tennis terms) is ‘a player included in the draw of a tennis event at the discretion of the tournament’s organising committee or organisation.’ Both main draw and qualifying wild cards may be made available at events and this applies to players on both the senior and junior tennis circuits. There is a limit to the number of wild cards a player can receive in a year – in the main and qualifying draws of tournaments. This figure can vary according to the level of tournament concerned, but is typically 6, of which a maximum of 3 are for main draw places.

Within each tournament, a set number of places (usually 4 but can be as many as 8) in both the main draw and the qualifying events are allocated for ‘Wild Cards’, and it is down to the tournament organiser to decide how these places are filled. Typically the wild card places are given to players from the host country, who are either being rewarded for a recent performance; who are recovering from injury; or for whom an opportunity to play in a higher level event might be good for their overall tennis development. In the higher level events however (Grand Slams etc), wild cards may also be given to former top players (‘big names’) who might not play as much any more but whose names will attract spectators and hence, potential income for the event. Sometimes these players are even paid to take up a place in the draw, such is their value to sponsors and event organisers.

There are instances however, when wild cards are issued and there is no obvious reason why. Take the WTA1000 this coming week as an example. Four Wild Cards have been given in the qualifying event. There are no obvious ‘home grown’ players to give these to so one might think the organisers would given them to the next four players on the alternate list, all of whom are ranked well within the top 200. But no, the organisers have awarded them to players ranked between 250 and 850 and who are from countries with no obvious connection to the host country – very tough for those players on the Alternate List who made the effort and incurred the expense of travelling across the world to sign in, in the hope that they would get into the draw.

There is no way of knowing who the wild cards will be awarded to in advance (unless you are one of the lucky recipients and as such have been told), so the Alternate players just have to take the chance. This begs the question, why, in the WTA1000 this coming week, were these particular players given the Wild Card spaces? Now maybe they do have genuine connections with the tournament or they train locally, but the cynic in me thinks otherwise and fears that something slightly more shady may have gone on, after all it is well known, certainly in the women’s game, that players are sometimes ‘befriended’ by some of the tournament organisers in certain countries and offered wild cards in return for other, non tennis related ‘favours’ – see my earlier blog ‘It’s Different For Girls.’ Similarly, one might ask, does money change hands in certain circumstances? Now this is all speculation on my part (although I am not alone in this opinion), and I have no actual proof to show that wild cards are being ‘bought’ (financially or otherwise) at certain events, but maybe this is an issue that the tennis governing bodies (WTA/ITF/ATP) needs to explore in more detail, just in case?

In my opinion, the wild cards should be used carefully and should be awarded to players who have incurred injury and are trying to get back to their pre injury level; to up coming local players who just need that lucky break; or to former players who are genuinely trying to get back into the game (not just for the money or publicity). If there are insufficient candidates to fill the wild card spaces then players on the alternate list should be offered the wild card slots. Wimbledon are certainly good at doing this latter option and frequently offer wild card places to the next alternate on the list. This in itself often frustrates the British players who are desperate to get into the Wimbledon draw and would love that opportunity, but if Wimbledon do not deem them good enough or with enough potential then that I guess, it is their prerogative.

In at least two of the Grand Slam countries (Australia and the USA), there are reciprocal relationships in place whereby one of the wild cards is given to players who have won a Wild Card Play Off tournament, so an Australian player might ‘win’ a wild card into the US Open and vice versa. Great Britain does not appear to have such a relationship with any of the other Grand Slam countries. Wimbledon does have a Wild Card Play Off tournament but it is for British Players only and whilst this tournament states that the winners (and possibly runners up) will receive wild cards into the qualifying draw of the Championships, the winners of the Play Offs are the only ones that are guaranteed, which is tough for the players who fall at the last hurdle.

In my opinion, as the parent of a player, wild cards are not something that players should be focused on. If your player gets one then it is should be considered a bonus, but players should never rely on them to get into the draw of a tournament, and certainly not into a Grand Slam. For sure it is lovely to receive one (and in the case of the Grand Slams it can be a financial life saver), but my advice to anyone trying to move up in the game is let your tennis do the talking and try to get a Direct Entry (based on ranking) into an event rather than rely on a gift from the organiser. If your player is seeking a wild card one might suggest that she isn’t yet at the level required for the tournament in question – unless she has been at that level before and is coming back from an injury time out.

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