How Serena and Venus Williams could stand in the way of Maja Chwalinska’s Wimbledon dream
Some tennis legends could stand in Maja Chwalinska’s way of getting a Wimbledon wildcard this year, despite her run to the French Open final.
That is according to Andy Roddick, who is hopeful the Roland Garros qualifier is afforded that honour but wouldn’t be shocked to see her miss out.
The world No 114 had only ever won match at a Grand Slam before this tournament but is now one victory away from becoming a shock major winner.
The Pole beat 25th Diana Shnaider in straight sets on Thursday, a result that lifted her to 21st in the live WTA rankings.
Normally, that would mean she is seeded for a Grand Slam but Roddick explained why that won’t be the case at this year’s Wimbledon.
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He said on the latest episode of Served, “The acceptance list for slams is six weeks out. Through Roland Garros next year, she’ll have these points, so she’ll be in Wimbledon next year already.
“That conversation for Wimbledon is a tough one, though. Like [if] Serena decides to play. That’s a wild card gone. There’s some star power that means it’s going to be a fight for wildcards.
“I could see them not doing it if she doesn’t win. If she wins the tournament [French Open], it’s a different story.”
Indeed, Serena Williams dominated the tennis headlines when it emerged that she would return to action at Queen’s Club in the doubles after nearly four years out of the game.
And her sister Venus Williams, who is a five-time Wimbledon champion, may also be in the wildcard mix for the third major of the year.
Roddick also outlined how there will be a host of Brits vying with other players for those precious few wildcards at SW19. For instance, Jack Draper is ranked 112 in the world but is likely to take one of these coveted spots.
He continued, “Who knows what will happen? If you’re 25 in the world, are you deserving? Yes. But she’s [Chwalinska] not getting screwed out of a position if they don’t give it to her. That’s just not the way it works.
“They would be taking a wildcard away from a British player potentially, or taking a wildcard away from the ability to trade one.
“As an example, if there’s a Draper-like person who they want to guarantee entry into the US Open, they would reach out the USTA (United States Tennis Association), trade a wild card and then Draper’s in. There’s a lot of moving parts.”
Lois Boisson made it to the semi-finals of the French Open last year but didn’t get a wildcard at the 2025 edition of Wimbledon.
So for Chwalinska, she just needs to focus on the no-so-small task of beating Mirra Andreeva in the French Open final on Saturday. That will, likely, end this debate once and for all.
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