Wimbledon have announced their first batch of wild cards for the 2026 tournament.
The tournament organisers had several tricky decisions to make, as the likes of Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maja Chwalinska, Stan Wawrinka, and Nick Kyrgios were all after a spot in the main draw.
You’re the Wimbledon tournament director… which TWO of these players are you giving a wildcard to?
But who did they pick, and who has been left to fight for the last few remaining wild cards?
Serena Williams and Venus Williams receive doubles wild cards but have yet to be confirmed for singles
The following 36 players have received wild cards for Wimbledon this year.
Men’s singles
- Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
- Jacob Fearnley (Great Britain)
- Arthur Fery (Great Britain)
- Jack Pinnington Jones (Great Britain)
- Toby Samuel (Great Britain)
- Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)
- TBD
- TBD
Women’s singles
- Maja Chwalinska (Poland)
- Harriet Dart (Great Britain)
- Alicia Dudeney (Great Britain)
- Hannah Klugman (Great Britain)
- Katie Swan (Great Britain)
- Mimi Xu (Great Britain)
- TBD
Men’s doubles
- Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) and Nick Kyrgios (Australia)
- Daniel Evans (Great Britain) and Henry Searle (Great Britain)
- Ben Jones (Great Britain) and Joshua Paris (Great Britain)
- Johannus Monday (Great Britain) and Harry Wendelken (Great Britain)
- David Stevenson (Great Britain) and Marcus Willis (Great Britain)
- TBD
- TBD
Women’s doubles
- Katie Boulter (Great Britain) and Heather Watson (Great Britain)
- Madeleine Brooks (Great Britain) and Amelia Rajecki (Great Britain)
- Jodie Burrage (Great Britain) and Mika Stojsavljevic (Great Britain)
- Freya Christie (Great Britain) and Eden Silva (Great Britain)
- Harriet Dart (Great Britain) and Maia Lumsden (Great Britain)
- Alicia Dudeney (Great Britain) and Mimi Xu (Great Britain)
- Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA)
One of the big debates heading into Wimbledon was whether or not the French Open finalist, Maja Chwalinska, would receive a wild card.
Chwalinska, the world number 21, would have looked out of place in the qualifying draw, so it’s good to see those in charge make the right call.
The other big decision to make was what to do with the Williams sisters.
Venus Williams has used wild cards at every event she’s played this year, while her sister only recently returned, competing in doubles.
As things stand, neither player has been given a singles wild card, although there is one spot yet to be filled.
They could be waiting on Serena Williams herself to make that call, given she has yet to decide whether she wants to play singles as well as doubles.
If Williams doesn’t think singles is realistic for Wimbledon, perhaps her older sister will get her spot, or maybe another young Briton will get a chance.
They have, however, been given a wild card into the doubles event, where they can try to win a 15th Grand Slam title together.
On the men’s side, the Wimbledon tournament organisers have offered more opportunities to foreign players.
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov will play this year, having suffered an injury while leading the eventual champion, Jannik Sinner, by two sets to love on Centre Court 12 months ago.
Retiring legend Stan Wawrinka has also been awarded a wild card, despite never reaching the semi-finals at the All England Club.
Two players who may feel hard done by are Nick Kyrgios and Matteo Berrettini, two former Wimbledon finalists.
Neither player has been given a wild card into the singles draw, although Kyrgios is scheduled to play doubles with Alexander Bublik.
In fairness, Berrettini might not need a wild card, as he is only a withdrawal or two away from advancing directly to the main draw.
But Kyrgios will certainly need one, and will have to hope he is one of the two names yet to be announced.
Dan Evans misses out on a Wimbledon wild card for now
Former British number one Dan Evans recently announced his plans to retire from tennis.
Despite doing so, he wasn’t given a wild card for the Queen’s Club Championships.
After losing in the first round of qualifying, Evans criticised the decision made by Queen’s.
How do you feel about Dan Evans not being handed a wildcard for Queen’s? 🤔
Unfortunately for Evans, he hasn’t been given a singles wild card for Wimbledon either.
He has been awarded a spot in the doubles main draw alongside his countryman Henry Searle, but surely, after all he’s done for British tennis, Evans deserves a Centre Court send-off in singles.
It remains to be seen who will receive the last-remaining wild cards…
The 2026 Wimbledon Championships begin on Monday, June 29.
