Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka lead Wimbledon wild cards
Emma Raducanu is among a number of tennis players to be awarded Wimbledon wildcards for the upcoming 2024 championships.
The former US Open champion reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open last week, before being knocked out by fellow British player Katie Boulter in an encouraging start to her grass court season.
Raducanu has not played at Wimbledon for two years, and in 2021 she reached the fourth round. Her recent career has been plagued by wrist and ankle surgeries, and she recently declined a wildcard to represent Great Britain at the summer Olympics.
However, she has risen significantly up the rankings to 165th in the world after her success at the Nottingham Open, after opting not to take part in the French Open qualifying to focus on her fitness.
Naomi Osaka is another to be awarded a wildcard for the summer tournament. She returned after having a baby for the French Open earlier this year and was knocked out in a thrilling and difficult contest by eventual winner Iga Swiatek.
Osaka spent 15 months away from the sport after giving birth to her first child, before returning in January, and has never been past the third round of Wimbledon, which she reached in 2017 and 2018.
In the women’s draw there were four British players awarded a wildcard including Raducanu: Francesca Jones, Heather Watson and Yuriko Lily Miyazaki. Caroline Wozniaki and Angelique Kerber were the other two to be awarded entry to the slam, with one place yet to be announced.
The men’s draw however, aside from one spot that has yet to be announced, was completely filled by British players: Liam Broady, Jan Choinski, Jacob Fearnley, Arthur Fery, Billy Harris, Paul Jubb and Henry Searle.
