The Queen’s Club Championships and tournament director Laura Robson chose not to give their defending champion, Tatjana Maria, a wild card for the 2026 event.
Understandably, that decision hasn’t gone down well with tennis fans and Maria herself.
Rising above, Maria won two qualifying matches to reach the main draw, then defeated Maria Sakkari in the first round.
Which player will win the 2026 Queen’s Club Championships women’s singles title?
Vote now!
However, despite doing everything she could to prove herself worthy of a wild card, Maria hasn’t convinced everyone…
Anne Keothavong says ‘nobody is entitled to a wild card’ as she defends Laura Robson’s decision
During the BBC’s coverage of Queen’s, Anne Keothavong defended Robson’s decision not to award Maria a wild card.
“The whole thing with wild cards is that they are subjective,” said Keothavong.
“Nobody is entitled to a wild card; whether you are a British player or the defending champion, there should never be an expectation of ‘I deserve a wild card because x, y and z’.
“It’s at the discretion of the tournament.
“It’s owned by the LTA, ran by the LTA. The LTA’s job is to support British tennis, whether that is a performance or participation. It’s an opportunity to give British tennis players a chance to play on the biggest stage in the biggest tournament and in front of their own fans.
“A lot of the fans who come here want to see British success and are interested in the British tennis players.
“I hear where Tatjana is coming from, but it goes back to the point that nobody should ever feel like they are entitled to something.”
As reported by the ‘Tennis Weekly Podcast‘, Maria made her feelings clear on Robson’s decision.
“I did it last year, it’s not like five years ago. I really hoped or thought I would get a wild card,” she said.
“I was surprised when I got a message from Laura Robson, saying that all the wild cards are going to the British players, I understand, but as a champion, it’s tough for me.”
The four wild cards went to British players.
- Katie Boulter – WTA #73
- Francesca Jones – WTA #98
- Harriet Dart – WTA #160
- Mika Stojsavljevic – WTA #261
Maria, the world number 52, is ranked above all four.
Had Maria dropped outside the world’s top 100 or 200, perhaps the decision would have been defendable, but that’s simply not the case.
Admittedly, the German has struggled this year, but still sits 81st in the ‘Live WTA Race’.
For reference, that means she has accumulated more points than three of the Queen’s wild card recipients this year.
- Katie Boulter – 42nd (714 points)
- Tatjana Maria – 81st (382 points)
- Francesca Jones – 117th (184 points)
- Harriet Dart – 157th (100 points)
- Mika Stojsavljevic – 357th (1 point)
There is nothing wrong with promoting and prioritising British talent, but giving all four wild cards to players from the host nation when the defending champion was right there is a rough decision.
It’s also worth remembering just how historic Maria’s win was 12 months ago.
As Queen’s returned to the WTA calendar for the first time since 1973, Maria, then 37, advanced through qualifying, defeating two Grand Slam champions and two (now three) Grand Slam finalists to clinch the title.
Tatjana Maria at the 2025 Queen’s Club Championships
| Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Q1 | Chan Hao-ching | WIN | 6-0, 6-2 |
| Q2 | Arina Rodionova | WIN | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 1R | Leylah Fernandez | WIN | 7-6, 6-2 |
| 2R | Karolina Muchova | WIN | 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 |
| QF | Elena Rybakina | WIN | 6-4, 7-6 |
| SF | Madison Keys | WIN | 6-3, 7-6 |
| F | Amanda Anisimova | WIN | 6-3, 6-4 |
To do that and become the first Queen’s Club Championships women’s winner in 53 years, you are surely ‘entitled’ to a wild card the following year.
Clearly, Robson and Keothavong disagree.
Can Tatjana Maria go back-to-back at Queen’s?
What better way for Maria to prove Robson and Keothavong wrong than to win the title again?
Maria has a mountain to climb, but you wouldn’t want to count her out.
Returning for her second-round match, the German will meet the former Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina.
Maria beat Rybakina en route to last year’s title, although it’s fair to say the Kazakhstani has taken a step forward since.
If she can pull off the upset and take down the top seed, she could face Katie Boulter in the quarter-finals, Victoria Mboko in the semi-finals, and Amanda Anisimova in the final.
Maria won’t want to get ahead of herself thinking about a second Queen’s title, but she’s certainly one to look out for this week.
She will return to play Rybakina in the second round on Wednesday, June 10.
