A day at Wimbledon qualies
Inside the quirkiest week in Grand Slam tennis
Adrian Mannarino has played in the singles draw at Wimbledon 13 times. Last year, he was the 22nd seed. But when the Frenchman walked up to the gate at the All England Club on Tuesday, he was denied entry.
“Sorry,” the security said, “Main draw players only.”
The policy is well-known, but not one Mannarino had experienced first-hand in such an abrupt way before.
“I was practising nearby in Southfields, and I was a little bit early so wanted to go to Aorangi Park (the practice court area at Wimbledon) just to get a coffee,” Mannarino says. “I had a lot of time ahead of me, and they refused me to get in because I was a a qualification player. I was like, jeez, am I still a player or what? It is hard when it happens. But these little things that make you upset, at the same time, if you qualify, you’re even more happy.”
Over the past 18 months, the 36-year-old has fallen from top 20 down to 125 in the rankings. It means that, for the first time in 13 years, he is having to battle through Wimbledon qualifying for a spot in the main draw — and to get access to the club itself. For now, he has to settle for Roehampton.
Four miles from the All England Club is the Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre Roehampton. It’s a mouthful of a name for the idyllic, understated hub where Wimbledon dreams are realised each year.
Unlike every other Grand Slam, which hosts qualifying on their main site, Wimbledon outsources their qualifying to Roehampton in order to protect the All England Club grass courts for the main event. The plan is to change that, once Wimbledon is able to start construction of 39 new courts at the site across the road (their plans were approved last September, but they are still locked in a judicial review process with the local council, after pushback from a group of very organised disgruntled residents).
So, for now, the tradition at Roehampton continues and a week of top tennis is played at what is essentially a very big sports field.
This year marks 100 years of Wimbledon qualifying, which was set up when the tournament began being oversubscribed to in 1925. In 1947 it moved to the current site and, for a long time, it was even free entry so people would really just rock up to watch. (Now tickets are £15). Some top talent played on these courts. John McEnroe famously came through qualifying in 1977 as an 18 year old, and reached the semi-finals that year. In 2005, a young Novak Djokovic made it through qualifying to reach the third round (it was the last time he ever had to qualify for a Grand Slam event).
So just as it was then, this past week 128 men and 128 women ranked just outside the main draw cut-off have been competing across three rounds to nab one of 16 remaining spots in the Championships.
Mannarino is one of them. After winning in his second round on Wednesday, he needs one more win before he can call himself a main draw competitor again (and get a working credential to access the AELTC grounds). “I was thinking about it with my coach yesterday,” he says, “and I said if I lose, I’m going home and actually not even going to see the stadium this year, which is pretty sad. But it is how it is, if I want to see the stadium I need to play better during the year to make it happen.”
As a journalist, the qualifying draw provides a real mixture of stories. You’ve got the young, green hopefuls looking to make their mark for the first time. Then there are the qualifier veterans, who operate on the cusp of the top 100 for years, and spend their careers tussling for that opportunity to make it to the big leagues each time a slam comes around. Dotted around both draws are also some former top talents, either making their way back from injury or fighting against Father Time.
They are not only playing for an opportunity to compete at one of sport’s most prestigious venues, but also for a big pay day. Even those who lose in the first round at Wimbledon taken home £60,000 this year. That can literally fund an entire year of coaching. For a tennis player on the cusp of the top 100, many of whom struggle to break even each week, that is huge.
The massive rewards available to players make the quaint Roehampton surroundings feel like they are literally from another time.
Apart from the small stands wrapped around the four biggest courts, the other 14 courts are mostly wedged in closely alongside each other. There is only standing room for spectators and space for a single file of people to walk between them. Alongside a few of the courts, there’s also a small hill where punters sit on the grass. They’re literally within touching distance of the players. It’s all very civilised: foil-wrapped sandwiches brought from home, fold-out picnic chairs, picnic blankets and lots of glugging from water bottles as the sun beats down.
It’s on this hill that a fairly large crowd have gathered to get a glimpse of former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu (who has been plagued by injuries in recent years) in her second round qualifying match. Her coach is court-side, sat on a park bench, his shoes off, and he’s feeling the grass beneath his feet. Early in the deciding set, he implores her: “Find your bubble!”
Andreescu’s opponent, fellow Canadian Carson Branstine, goes on a stunning purple patch in the final set though. “She’s playing top-five tennis,” Andreescu says exasperatedly. “What the fuck do I do?”
As Andreescu crashed out, on the neighbouring court Li Tu of Australia — who is at a career-high ranking of 164 — clinches a deciding set tiebreak win over Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro. He’s one win away from reaching the Wimbledon main draw for the first time, at the age of 29, and you can tell just how much it means by his emphatic celebration. I spot his contemporary and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis (who is recovering from injury) celebrates among the punters on the small hill.
You quite literally never know what you’re going to find at qualifying. It is a truly unique event, one that I really enjoy as a journalist. Being close to the action, with easy access to players is a winning combination. The refreshingly relaxed venue adds to the intrigue too. For Mannarino though, getting used to this qualifying environment again, has been a challenge.
“The courts are a little bit softer, different bounce. I wish the surface would be a little bit more similar than Wimbledon,” he says. “Obviously it’s hard to make it happen because the courts are getting destroyed pretty quick. But considering the situation it’s not too bad. It’s not easy to be back for sure, I wish I wouldn’t play this qualification but it is how it is.”
He adds: “From outside it looks cool, but when you’re on court you have the crowds really close to the court, everybody’s eating and making noise. It’s not easy to play. Today I was playing on a big court so it looks like I’m playing a match in Wimbledon but yesterday I was playing on one of these side courts, it was super noisy, people were walking by, eating, drinking, opening their can during the point. It’s a little bit annoying because we’re not used to it. We need to adjust in this sport every day to the conditions. I’m trying!”
Taylor Townsend, who is the reigning women’s doubles champion at Wimbledon, is also one win away from making it into the singles main draw. Though she’s a former top 50 player she has been through every qualifying experience at the majors, and so appreciates the quirks of Roehampton.
“It’s one of a kind,” she says. “I was in Roland Garros qualies and we were able to go everywhere [at the main site] except the Philippe Chatrier locker room. So it’s very different. You could be here and never make it to the All England Club. You have no idea what it looks like or feels like to be over there, so it’s a very unique experience. Obviously it’s because of the surface and the wear and tear of the surface. This is a lot different to what it’s like at the All England Club. It’s just extra motivation to make it over there.”
She speaks with me and one other journalist just outside the player lounge, on a large patch of grass reserved for player warm-up and cool downs. There are a few exercise bikes under an awning, and a small fence separating it from the public.
Qualifying for a slam is no mean feat. Two years ago American Townsend fell one match short of qualification here, after being beat by former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the last round. One British player recently described the qualification process to me as a “dog fight”, where tensions can run higher than when you’re actually in the main draw.
In Townsend’s view, people underestimate just how difficult it is to win three consecutive matches before a slam. “I think there is an extra level of hunger,” Townsend says. “Especially if there are a lot of players like Mannarino who has been inside the top 20 so knows what it’s like to be week-to-week, slam-to-slam in main draws. When you’ve been there, there’s an extra level of hunger to want to get back.
“The one thing that’s a common misconception is the level. Unless you come and watch and see it for yourself, the level is very, very high. That’s a misconception, that qualies is easy. It’s not. Especially playing three rounds, like that’s a lot of matches to get through in order to get to the main draw.”
As I’m walking out of the grounds at gone 8pm, only one match is still being played. The remaining punters are all gathered around Court 6, where Briton Emily Appleton (the world number 403) comes through a dramatic 10-point match tie-break against Czech player Barbora Palicova. The atmosphere is absolutely electric. One more win will give her a first shot at the Wimbledon singles main draw.
While I know hosting qualifying at their main site, if and when the redevelopment happens, is key to Wimbledon keeping pace with the other majors, I do hope the charm that exists at this event is not completely lost.
That’s all for this week. Before I go, I wanted to remind you that my book Building Champions is out and could be the perfect pre-Wimbledon read! Available at all the usual suspects: Amazon, Waterstones and via my publisher Birlinn.
Thanks!
Molly x
That was a ripping read! As if I needed to be more excited for Wimbledon
Love this, Molly! And can't wait to read your book - congratulations :) - Kasey