Reigning champion Tatjana Maria snubbed wildcard at Queen's as British favourites gets the nod

Clay is almost done and dusted with the grass season set to commence imminently. For many of the WTA Tour, the Queen's Club Championship is the place to be with the tournament spreading its wildcards among a range of British players ranging from Katie Boulter to Hariet Dart. However, there is no room for the reigning champion Tatjana Maria.

The German was an unexpected winner of the event last year. Queen's has been a tournament just played by the ATP Tour. Women last competed there back in 1973 with the winner, Olga Morozova, representing the Soviet Union.

After a 52-year hiatus, the WTA made a triumphant return to the prestigious tournament with Maria the vocal point following its completion. The 38-year-old is a handy player on grass having previously reached a semi-final at Wimbledon back on 2022. Two of the four WTA titles won also came on grass, with the Queen's triumph the best of them all.

She had a ridiculously tough draw to deal with, but somehow prevailed in marvellous fashion. Starting off, the former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez was dealt with in straight sets before another Grand Slam finalist in the form of Karolina Muchova was swept aside.

The fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was defeated before the number two seed Madison Keys was kept at bay. She was pitched up against Amanda Anisimova in the final. The eighth seed would go on to reach the final at SW19 that year, but it turns out that even her impecable form on grass was not enough to get the better of a ruthless Maria who, at the age of 37, won the biggest title of her career in a heart-warming run.

Ranked world number 54, Maria is not ranked high enough to gain automatic entry into the draw. She would either have to rely on players pulling out or a wildcard to grant an automatic spot in the tournament.

This is not looking overly likely in this moment in time. Her best bet of getting in was a wildcard, and many tennis fans thought that this would be a straightforward choice. They would prove to be incorrect.

Maria will need to battle through qualifying to reach the main draw with a whole lot of pressure to defend the 500 points won from last year. With 1,111 points to her name, almost half her tally will be taken off which will see her fall outside the top 100 in a drastic fall.

As the grass season commences, many tournaments in England will be hosted. This is kicked off by the ongoing Birmingham Open. Queen's begins next week with the Nottingham Open following shortly after. The Eastbourne Open is the final tournament to be played ahead of Wimbledon.

A lot of British names will feature in the third Grand Slam of the year, and at Queen's as well with the home crowd set to have a lot of familiar faces to cheer on.

British number one Emma Raducanu entered the main draw automatically through her ranking with Sonay Kartal ruled out of the grass swing due to a back injury.

As for the wildcards, Boulter is the most notable name. The two-time Notthingham champion could only manage a second round appearance last year, losing to recent French Open semi-finalist Diana Shnaider after taking the first set.

Francesca Jones will also feature. The 25-year-old recently earned a first ever Grand Slam win and is coming off that high with the top 100 her target. She lost in the opening round last year against McCartney Kessler. The world number 171 Harriet Dart has been a familiar figure in British tennis despite falling down the rankings, and will again be competing at Queen's. This one is especially contentious among tennis fans with the 29-year-old seemingly on a downward spiral and having not taken her other opportunities in the past.

17-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic will also take to the court in London. She debuted for her country in the Billie Jean King Cup, helping a depleted Great British team reach the finals later this year Down Under against Australia.

While these British talents get in, Maria is forced to possibly watch on as they look to progress through the rounds and give the home support something to cheer about. It will take place from June 8-14.