Wildcards - the constant agony of choice
While Andy Murray's record-breaking number of wildcards at ATP level is taken for granted almost everywhere, Petros Tsitsipas ' 100th anniversary at the tournament in Madrid is reviving the ongoing discussion about direct starting eligibility.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edit: May 02, 2023, 11:32 pm
For the true tennis insider, the pre-tournament tingle begins well before the first serve. In addition to the exact samples of the entry list, he is eagerly awaiting which players will be able to start directly at the tournament with a wildcard. For organizers and tournament directors, it is important to weigh up the different aspects of the award and ultimately to make the often “thankless” decisions.
Big name comeback support
An essential task on the part of the organizer is, of course, to refinance the event with an attractive starting field through the audience income. In this respect, it is understandable practice to grant a wildcard to well-known players who would not be represented in the field after long-term injuries due to their current ranking. In Germany, the topic was hotly debated in public for the first time in 2004, when the successful coach Niki Pilic, who was decorated with numerous Davis Cup successes, gave preference to his compatriot Goran Ivanisevic as a former Wimbledon winner on a farewell tour in the course of his work as tournament director at the ATP tournament in Munich Young player Florian Mayer, who shortly before that made himself known at the tournament in Estoril with his first semi-final participation on the ATP tour.
Also Murray and Wawrinka with bonus as Grand Slam champions
With Andy Murray, another Wimbledon champion has enjoyed numerous wildcards in recent months. In total, the Scot has had 54 direct start authorizations at ATP level in his career, 30 alone since his comeback after his hip operation. A more relaxed approach was taken by three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka on his return to the Tour after his protracted foot injury. After, according to his own statements, he had not even dealt with the subject of “protected ranking”, the Swiss should nevertheless quickly start again at the big events due to numerous wildcards.
Petros Tsitsipas anniversary worth discussing
Actually, the original intention is to support talented and up-and-coming young players on their way to the top with the wild cards, ideally like at the combined event in Madrid with the sensational run of the young Russian Mirra Andreeva. In comparison, the large number of direct mandates awarded to Petros Tsitsipas, the younger brother of world-class player Stefanos, seems a bit absurd. Despite a career high with just No. 727 in singles, the 22-year-old, who is currently listed at position 1503, received a total of 55 wildcards for singles starts. Meanwhile, the Greek starts almost exclusively in doubles, mostly alongside his famous brother. With his total of 45 wildcards in pair skating, he has meanwhile narrowly worked his way up to the top 100 and could be there in the foreseeable future even without the goodwill of the organizers at the big events.
Honorable Players
Another familiar sight is the granting of direct start permissions to deserving players who would like to say goodbye on the big stage. However, in Italy, where the association has the final say in awarding wildcards, people don't seem to think much of it. For example, former world No. 18 Andreas Seppi was denied a final start on Italian soil at the ATP tournament in Florence on the grounds of "waste". The multiple Davis Cup player played his last tournament at a Challenger in his South Tyrolean homeland. The situation in Spain is different. In recognition of his 26-year career, Feliciano Lopez, who wrote history with 79 consecutive Grand Slam starts, received the wild card for the ATP tournament in Barcelona a few weeks ago from tournament director David Ferrer himself. A farewell to the Masters tournament in Madrid, where Lopez has also been tournament director since 2019, would certainly have suited him well, but is prohibited according to ATP regulations. He has certainly had one or two exchanges on this topic with Tommy Haas, who, as tournament director of the 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, had more than toyed with saying goodbye there.