Wimbledon wild card for Kvitova; Sabalenka seeks Gauff’s apology

Petra Kvitova is returning to Wimbledon after the 2011 and 2014 champion was awarded a wild card Wednesday for this year’s tournament.

Kvitova last played at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament in 2023, and became a mother for the first time when her son was born during last year’s Wimbledon tournament.

Kvitova made her return to the WTA Tour in Austin, Texas, in February after 17 months away from the court and is currently ranked 572nd.

Kvitova, from the Czech Republic, was the only non-British player to get a singles wild card to the main draw on Wednesday.

The other seven players with wild cards for the women’s draw include British players Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage, while Dan Evans is among seven British players given a wild card for the men’s draw. One more men’s wild card is due to be announced “in due course,” organizers said.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka says she has written to Coco Gauff to apologise for the “unprofessional” comments she made following her loss to her American rival in the final of the French Open.

Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka pose with their trophies after the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris on Saturday. AP

Speaking to Eurosport Germany, the top-ranked Sabalenka said her remarks after her 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 loss to Gauff at Roland-Garros this month were a mistake.

In her post-match press conference in Paris, Sabalenka had suggested that the result was more due to her own errors than to Gauff’s performance.

“That was just completely unprofessional of me,” Sabalenka said. “I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then. You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward – not immediately, but recently.”

Sabalenka hit 37 winners but finished the final with 70 unforced errors – compared to Gauff’s 30.

She said she wrote to Gauff to apologize and “make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her.”

“I never intended to attack her,” Sabalanka added. “I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realized a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals?”

Sabalenka, a three-time major champion, also lost to Gauff in the 2023 US Open final, where she also won the first set.

“I kept getting so emotional,” Sabalenka added. “So I learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I’m the one who always treats my opponents with great respect, whether I win or lose. Without that respect, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it was a tough but very valuable lesson for me.”

The man accused of stalking tennis player Emma Raducanu tried to obtain tickets to Wimbledon but was blocked by the All England Club’s security system, British media reported Tuesday.

The BBC and others reported that the man tried to apply for tickets through the public ballot for the Grand Slam tournament that starts June 30. His name had been red-flagged.

Agencies