Wildcard entries are some of the most exciting aspects of events, be it in a sport or a TV show. Tennis is one sport that is big on wild cards in tournaments. It is another way, besides having a high rank or advancing through qualifiers, to enter any tournament. There are various ways in which one player can get a wildcard entry. It is one of the most anticipated things by players. However, not all tournaments have the same number of wildcards. Brad Gilbert, the ex-coach of Andre Agassi, recently talked about the uneven distribution in the ATP and the WTA Tours.

The wild card entries of the Indian Wells Masters were recently announced. Many famous players have been given a wildcard entry when they were young. Players who have come out of a long hiatus can also get a wild card.

Andre Agassi’s ex-coach gives his views on wildcard entries

A recent post on Twitter covered the players that have been given wild card entry to the Indian Wells Masters. Jack Sock, Yibing Wu, Brandon Holt, Alex Kovacevic, and Dominic Thiem were the wild cards for the first of the two ‘Sunshine Doubles’.

Additionally, in the WTA category, Sonia Kenin, Emma Navarro, Ann Li, Caty McNally, Katie Volynets, Peyton Stearns and Elizabeth Mandlik will be given wildcard entries. Immediately after Jon Wetheim tweeted about the Indian Wells wildcards, Brad Gilbert replied with a question. He tweeted, “wonder ☁️ why not same amount of WC’s for @atptour @WTA.” 

In total, ATP had four, and the WTA had seven wild card players for the event. Brad Gilbert, the ex-coach of Andre Agassi, compared the number of wild card draws. Gilbert asked why the ATP and the WTA draws aren’t the same and questioned the uneven distribution.

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Process of wildcards for tournaments

Player can get a wild card entry into a tournament in various ways. The number of wild card entries depends on the tournament. The bigger the tournament, more the number of wild cards. Grand Slams usually have eight wildcards. Other tournaments may have fewer.

Players who do not lie in the ranking category of the tournament can also get a wildcard entry. Local players will usually get a few wildcard entries in order to encourage the local populace to watch the tournament.

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Moreover, young and upcoming players can also get a wildcard. Allowing players with a growing fanbase to participate in relatively unknown tournaments can be a good opportunity to increase the popularity of the sport and the event. A case in point would be Stan Wawrinka’s yearly appearance in the ATP 250 event in India, the Chennai Open, before he won his first Australian Open title.