World No.1 Iga Swiatek and the last two Wimbledon champions, Marketa Vondrousova and Elena Rybakina, lead the main-draw entries for this year’s tournament. They are joined by the rest of the world’s Top 10 as of the May 20 edition of the WTA rankings.
The trio are three of 10 Grand Slam champions entered in the field, though only defending champion Vondrousova and 2022 winner Rybakina have triumphed at Wimbledon previously. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, and Belinda Bencic, were the only two withdrawals among eligible players prior to the entry deadline; they are both on maternity leave.
Notably, two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist Karolina Muchova has also entered the field. The World No.14 and 2023 Roland Garros finalist has yet to play this year following wrist surgery in February.
Nine players have earned direct entry to the main draw with a protected ranking, pushing the direct-entry cutoff to No.97. They included two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic (using a ranking of No.34), former World No.2 Paula Badosa (No.36) and 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu (No.64). Six more players in the main-draw alternates list have also used protected rankings to enter — the most notable of which is Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion.
The rest of the players to use injury-protected rankings to enter the tournament are Zhang Shuai (No.48), Irina-Camelia Begu (No.49), Lauren Davis (No.59), Kateryna Baindl (No.86), Wang Qiang (No.94) and Alison van Uytvanck (No.97). Absent from the tour for nearly two full years, former No.12 Wang has played five tournaments this year so far after returning at the WTA 250 in Hua Hin the week following the Australian Open, four of which have been ITF tournaments in her native China.
Van Uytvanck is the last direct acceptance to the main draw, beneath this week’s true No.97, former Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jule Niemeier. The next 10 alternates in case of any withdrawals are as follows:
- Emina Bektas
- Bai Zhuoxuan
- Kayla Day
- Erika Andreeva
- Renata Zarazu
- Arina Rodionova
- Raducano
- Aliaksandra Sasnovich
- Kamilla Rakhimova
- Maria Timofeeva
Three former World No.1s have not gained direct entry to the main draw. Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber have both exhausted the two major events allotted to their special rankings at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. Nearly five months into their comebacks from maternity leave, Osaka is ranked No.134 and Kerber No.238. Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka is in the alternates list; she will need a wild card (or 36 withdrawals) to reach the main draw. Kerber, the 2018 Wimbledon champion, is not in the alternates list.
Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki is the 21st alternate to the main draw with her current ranking of No.117.
Click here to view the full entry list. The main draw of the 2024 Championships begins on July 1.
Source: https://www.wtatennis.com/news/4025682/no-1-swiatek-former-champs-vondrousova-rybakina-lead-wimbledon-entries
