Queens
Oddball Serena singles wildcard draws fire
Wimbledon’s awarding of a singles wild card to retired former champion Serena Williams has turned the grass-court major into something of a laughingstock, with even the player herself saying she is far from ready for a return to the big stage.
The 44-year-old who played her last Tour match in 2022 before seeming to walk away at the US Open, has already received a doubles wild card along with her over-40 sister Venus.
Serena, a mother of two, has spent the last few years roaming the celebrity and society circuit far from the discipline of tennis.
She returned to doubles this month in Britain, winning a round with teenaged Victoria Mboko before the youngster was injured. Her progress was stopped last week in Berlin with another doubles defeat.
Along the way, Williams has all but said she is not ready for prime time:”You think I’m ready for singles? I need to get to work,” she said when asked about her singles hopes.
The Wimbledon move was especially painful to Brits, with retiring ATP player Dan Evans refused wild cards for his farewell appearance at both Queen’s club and Wimbledon.
He is currently involved in Wimbledon qualifying which began on Monday.
2025 Queen’s Ladies Champion Maria was not given a wildcard in 2026 had to come through qualifying.
Williams, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, last played Wimbledon in 2022, duplicating her first-round loss from the year before.
Her last win at the venue came in 2019, when she went on to lose the final to Simona Halep.
Main photo:- US Open 2022 Day 1 Serena Williams (USA) first round match of her final tournament by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
Eastbourne next week will see the return of Britain’s Jack Draper watched by his new coach Andy Murray
The 24 year old last played a competitive match in early April and needs to get back to match fitness with Wimbledon starting on 29 June.
2024 US Open semi-finalist Draper was a late withdrawal from Queens last week and now feels ready to put himself to the test.
This will also be Draper’s first tournament under Murray’s guidance.
Draper was previously coached by 39 year old Murray’s one time coach Jamie Delgado before announcing that the triple grand slam champion would be supporting him for the grass season.
When asked if the partnership was to be a long-term project, 39-year-old Murray said: “I hope so”
“I think the number one priority for Jack and the team just now is getting him back on the match court, competing and gaining trust in his body again.”
Top seed Alex de Minaur was dismissed from his quarter-final at Queen’s club on Friday by long-odds outsider Brandon Nakashima, who produced a 7-5, 6-3 upset win.
De Minaur, sixth in the world, played the final here three years ago, losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
Nakashima, ranked 32nd, earned the third win of his career over a top 10 opponent and was forecasting his win was a taste of things to come on the football pitch when Australia face the US in the World Cup later in the day.
“Hopefully we get another win, it should be an exciting match,” the American said. “I wasn’t able to watch the first game of the US but I am happy it is a little earlier today, so I will be able to watch it.”
The 24-year-old winner has a modest record on grass, reaching the second week of Wimbledon four years ago and playing a 2024 Stuttgart semi-final.
“Any time you beat a top player like Alex it is a huge accomplishment,” Nakashima said.
“I’ve been feeling pretty good on the grass with all the matches here. I am happy I am playing well.”
Alex de Minaur extracted delayed grass-court revenge from Canadian Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday as the top seeded Australian advanced to the Queen’s club quarter-finals
De Minaur lost to Shapo a decade ago in the Wimbledon junior final, but levelled that particular rivallry with a 6-4,6-1 result to keep a perfect record at the ATP level with the North American.
De Minaur advanced in 63 minutes as he won his sixth in a row in the series and lined up a quarter-final with Brandon Nakashima.
The quick victory was in contrast to de Minaur’s success in the opening round, when he needed two hours to put away Canada’s Gabrille Diallo
“We (he and Shapovalov have grown up together and played plenty of matches on the Tour. That one [at Wimbledon] was a special one,” the top-seeded winner said.
“I would have loved to have gotten that (2016) win, because it would have given me the World No. 1 junior ranking.
“But here we are 10 years later, and I’m still enjoying myself.”
De MInaur, the 2023 finalist against Carlos Alcaraz here, broke Shapo five times as he takes aim at a third career title on grass.
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