Stuttering Royals Look To Find Their Form And Seal Top-two Spot
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) announced the players who would be receiving wild cards for the upcoming French Open in a statement Tuesday, awarding most of the slots to French players.
Major champions Simona Halep, Venus Williams, Dominic Thiem, Caroline Wozniacki and Emma Raducanu notably did not receive wild cards, which all needed due to their current rankings.
Halep, who returned in March to competition after a reduction in her doping suspension, won the 2018 French Open, in addition to Wimbledon in 2019.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who hasn't played at the event since 2021, and Thiem, the 2020 US Open victor, are both former finalists at Roland Garros. Thiem recently announced he would be retiring at the end of the season due to a lingering wrist injury.
Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open champion, is a two-time quarterfinalist in Paris and returned to the sport after a three-year retirement in August.
Raducanu, who became the first qualifier in Open era history to win a major at the 2021 US Open, advanced to the second round at Roland Garros in her lone appearance at the tournament in 2022.
Thiem, Wozniacki and Raducanu could earn spots in the main draw through qualifying, which begins on Monday.
Among those who did receive wild cards for entry are French players Alize Cornet, the former world No. 11 who announced she would be retiring at the tournament's conclusion, Fiona Ferro, Kristina Mladenovic, Richard Gasquet, Harold Mayot and Pierre-Hugues Herbert. American players Sachia Vickery and Nicolas Moreno de Alboran received wild cards through a reciprocal agreement between the FFT and USTA.
The French Open main draw gets underway on May 26 in Paris. Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic are the defending champions.
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