Andy Murray is one of the initial recipients of a Wimbledon wildcard; Five-time Queen's Club winner Murray made a brilliant winning start to his cinch Championship campaign against Frenchman Benoit Paire with a straight-sets win in his first competitive singles match since March
Thursday 17 June 2021 13:22, UK
Andy Murray has been announced as one of the initial recipients of a Wimbledon wildcard.
The two-time champion, who played just his third ATP singles match of the year at Queen's Club on Tuesday, is ranked down at 124, which is outside the cut-off for direct qualification.
Murray will be joined by fellow British players Katie Boulter, Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Samantha Murray Sharan, Francesca Jones, Liam Broady, Jay Clarke and 19-year-old Jack Draper, who won his maiden ATP Tour match at Queen's on Monday.
Five-time champion Venus Williams and Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz have also been given main draw wildcards.
Meanwhile, Eva Shaw of Nottinghamshire and Middlesex's William Jansen have received qualifying wildcards for the tournament after they were crowned champions in the 18 & Under Girls and 18 & Under Boys events at the LTA's Junior National Championships.
The event, which took place on the grass courts of Surbiton Tennis Club, saw 138 junior players from across the country compete for the boys and girls national titles in singles and doubles.
Winning the national junior title has traditionally been a stepping stone on the journey to becoming a professional for the country's leading players, with the roll of honour including such names as Murray, Heather Watson, Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans, Anne Keothavong and Tim Henman.
Shaw, 16, who trains at the National Tennis Academy at Loughborough University as part of the LTA's Performance Pathway, defeated Suffolk's Kylie Bilchev 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) in a close contest that came down to the wire.
Jansen, also 16, prevailed 7-6(4), 6-4 against top seed William Nolan of Derbyshire in the Boys Singles to claim the title.
World No 2 Naomi Osaka is still entered into the draw for this year's Wimbledon.
Osaka suggested she would take some time away from the game as she battled mental health issues that forced her to withdraw from the French Open.
Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton revealed that, as things stand, the All England Club is expecting Osaka to compete in the tournament, which begins on June 28.
Bolton said: "We've reached out to her team, we haven't spoken to Naomi herself. At this point in time she's entered into the Championships and we haven't received confirmation that she won't compete."
Tournament director Jamie Baker added: "I had the conversation with her team. It's absolutely clear that we're here, we're completely open for any discussions when they want to have that. Hopefully it goes without saying that we want the best players competing here no matter what.
"We treat every single player with a tremendous amount of care. That's one of the main reasons for me and my role. We've been building those relationships so there's a constant, ongoing dialogue and we will just continue to behave in this way."
Murray made a superb winning start in his first singles outing since March as the former world No 1 defeated Benoit Paire at Queen's Club on Tuesday.
With Wimbledon just around the corner, Murray's tennis appears to be in good shape as the three-time Grand Slam winner made a successful return in his first singles outing on grass in three years by defeating Frenchman Paire 6-3 6-2.
Murray has struggled to return to his former level since having hip resurfacing surgery in January 2019 with niggling injuries limiting his tournament time.
"The body is old but, I did quite well with my movement," Murray said on court after his victory.
"It's my first match on grass in three years, I've only played three or four practice sets in the build up to this, so I didn't know exactly how I was going to play or how I was going to feel. I think for a first match, it was good.
"I love it, I love playing tennis," Murray continued, before he paused due to the emotion of the occasion overcoming him.
"Obviously, competing is why you put in all of the hard work. In the last few years, I've not got to do that as much as I would have liked, so it's just great that I'm out here and able to compete again."
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