Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt will play at The All England Club for the first time since 2016 after being granted a wildcard into the Wimbledon men’s doubles draw.
The 37-year-old made his debut at the tournament back in 1999 and won the title three years later in 2002. Hewitt retired from singles competition at the 2016 Australian Open, but has since occasionally played doubles alongside his fellow compatriots. This year he has already played in four doubles tournaments on three different surfaces. Reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with Sam Groth and more recently the semifinals of the Surbiton Challenger with Alex Bolt.
At the upcoming grand slam, Hewitt will play alongside Bolt. The 25-year-old is currently at a ranking high of 160th in the singles and is 108th in the doubles rankings.
Alex de Minaur, who is mentored by Hewitt, has also been granted a pass into the men’s singles draw. It is the third consecutive grand slam where the 19-year-old has been given a wildcard. De Minaur has illustrated his potential on the grass this season by claiming his maiden Challenger title at the Nottingham Open. Prior to that, he also reached the final at another grass-court Challenger in Surbiton.
“It’s been huge. Since day 1 it’s helped me to come out of my shell and believe in myself. Each time I’m around him I learn something new.” De Minaur told RSN Breakfast Club about Hewitt.
Dan Evans misses out
Three out of the eight wildcards for the men’s draw has been confirmed, but Dan Evans has missed out. In recent weeks there has been a debate about if he should be handed one. Evans returned to the tour earlier this year after serving a one-year doping ban. He tested positive for cocaine during the 2017 Barcelona Open. As a result, the Brit will have to go through pre-qualifying for a chance to play in the main draw of his home major.
“If I’m playing prequallies, it’s still an opportunity to get into the tournament. If someone had said I’d be playing prequallies a year ago, I’d have taken it. It’s fine by me if I’m playing in that tournament.” Evans told reporters on Tuesday.
According to the BBC, the All England Club said that decision concerning Evans was based on ‘principle.’ The British player had recently reached the final of the Nottingham Open before losing to De Minaur.
“This decision is based on principle in the immediacy of his return from a suspension from competition,” the All England Club said in a statement to the BBC.
“He will be competing in the pre-qualifying at the All England Club this week for the opportunity to secure one of the remaining places into qualifying.”
Jay Clarke and Liam Broady have been selected to feature in the main draw. Clarke, who lost in the first round at Queen’s to Sam Querrey, is currently ranked 223rd in the world. With four Futures titles under his belt, he will be making his grand slam debut. Meanwhile, world No.168 Broady will be making his third appearance.
British women make up the majority of the wildcards for the ladies singles. Katie Boulter has been awarded for her run to the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open. Boulter has already won two ITF titles this season and recently scored the biggest win of her career yet against Sam Stosur. Other British entrants include Naomi Broady, Katie Swan and Gabriella Taylor. Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur has also been granted a wildcard. The former French Open girls champion recently won the biggest title of her professional career at the ITF $100,000 Manchester Open.
The Wimbledon Championships will get underway on July 2nd.
Full list of wildcards (as of 20/6/2018)
GENTLEMEN’S SINGLES
Liam BROADY (GBR)
Jay CLARKE (GBR)
Alex DE MINAUR (AUS)
To be announced
To be announced
To be announced
To be announced
To be announced
LADIES’ SINGLES
Katie BOULTER (GBR)
Naomi BROADY (GBR)
Harriet DART (GBR)
Katy DUNNE (GBR)
Ons JABEUR (TUN)
Katie SWAN (GBR)
Gabriella TAYLOR (GBR)
To be announced
GENTLEMEN’S DOUBLES
Luke BAMBRIDGE & Jonny O’MARA (GBR)
Alex BOLT & Lleyton HEWITT (AUS)
Liam BROADY & Scott CLAYTON (GBR)
Jay CLARKE & Cameron NORRIE (GBR)
Jurgen MELZER (AUT) & Daniel NESTOR (CAN)
Fredrik NIELSEN (DEN) & Joe SALISBURY (GBR)
To be announced
To be announced
LADIES’ DOUBLES
Katie BOULTER & Katie SWAN (GBR)
Naomi BROADY (GBR) & Asia MUHAMMAD (USA)
Harriet DART & Katy DUNNE (GBR)
To be announced
To be announced
To be announced
To be announced
