Lawn Tennis Association Changes Wildcard Policy For British Players At Wimbledon

A world ranking inside the top 250 "will no longer be enough to earn British players a wildcard at Wimbledon," according to the BBC. The Lawn Tennis Association "previously advised the All England Club of the wildcard entries, with a policy to select top-250 players." But an LTA spokesperson said it now plans to nominate those who "have the best chance of performing well." Of the eight British players given wildcards in the 2014 singles main draw, only Naomi Broady won her first-round match. Improved prize money at the Grand Slams "has made wildcards increasingly valuable," with last year's first-round losers taking home £27,000 (BBC, 2/9). The PA reported LTA CEO Michael Downey and Player Development Dir Bob Brett, both of whom joined the governing body last year, "were known not to be fans of such a rigid criteria." Both felt players "should show more than an ability simply to remain at a certain level, and that will now be the case" (PA, 2/10).