Milos Raonic will not receive a wild card entry to
Wimbledon following the All England Lawn Tennis Club's announcement of an
all-British wild card roster. The former world No. 3, who was a runner-up in
SW19 after losing to local hero Andy Murray, will need to find another way to
compete.
Raonic missed Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022, and used his
protected ranking to enter the draw in 2023. However, ATP rules stipulate that
players cannot use their protected ranking for a Grand Slam entry more than
once.
Historic Queen's Club performance not enough
Despite his historic performance this week at the ATP 500
Queen’s Club Championships, where he defeated
Cameron Norrie 6-7(6), 6-3,
7-6(9) and hit a record 47 aces in a three-set match, Raonic, currently ranked
No. 186, is not on the main draw entry list but will compete in the
tournament's qualifiers.
The AELTC announced wild cards exclusively for British
players:
Liam Broady (No. 148), Jan Choinski (No. 177), Jacob Fernley (No.
274), Arthur Fery (No. 249), Billy Harris (No. 162), Paul Jubb (No. 292), and
Henry Searle (No. 570). The last spot is reserved for the winner of the Ikley
Challenger, currently featuring top contenders such as 4th seed
David Goffin
and second seed
Lloyd Harris.
Although this year’s wild cards are all for British
players, this is not always the norm at SW19. Unlike the French Open, which
typically awards wild cards to local players only, Wimbledon has historically
included international players. In 2023, a wild card was granted to David
Goffin, while
Tim van Rijthoven and
Stan Wawrinka were recipients in 2022. In
2021, an agreement with the Australian Federation saw Alex Bolton receive a
wild card, along with a young Carlos Alcaraz, who was just beginning his Tour journey.
