Venus Williams and Ukraine’s Elina Switolina receive a wild card for Wimbledon. Williams – five-time winner of the Grand Slam event held in London – is competing in singles for the 24th time. At the WTA 250 tournament in Birmingham, the 43-year-old American (world rankings 697th), who recently returned after a five-month injury break, defeated Camila Giorgi (ITA/48) on Monday. It was her first success in almost four years against a player in the top 50 in the world rankings. Switolina reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in Paris after a baby break.
Two wildcards are still available for women and men for the London Major, which begins on July 3rd. From an Austrian point of view, Dominic Thiem and Julia Grabher are firmly in the main competition. Sebastian Ofner is better than Thiem in the world rankings, but his advance there only came after the cut for the Wimbledon field.