"Distributed to 3 pensioners": Tennis fans angered by Miami Open wildcard picks as Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Emma Raducanu confirmed

Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Emma Raducanu have been awarded wildcard picks for the upcoming Miami Open next month. Whilst this guarantees further interest in an already huge tournament, some fans aren't happy with the organiser's decision.

"Interesting turn from giving it away to promising juniors over the years, now distributed to 3 pensioners," one user said on X. "All will go to waste. Maybe Woz [Caroline Wozniacki] can sneak a win or two but seriously give it to some young girls," stated another.

43-year-old Williams has not played competitively since the US Open, where she suffered a first round defeat to qualifier Greet Minnen. Wozniacki made a return to tennis in August having retired in 2020, while Raducanu has failed to recapture the form that saw her win the US Open on debut. The Brit was the only one of the three to play in last year's event, losing her first match to Canadian Bianca Andreescu 6-3 3-6 6-2.

Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori has also been given a wildcard for the men's playing of the ATP 1000 event. Nishikori will be making his first appearance on the Tour since July 2023.