Every year, a few players catch a lucky break at Wimbledon. They fall short in qualifying, and think their Grand Slam dreams are over. But when a player withdraws ahead of the first round for some reason, they are handed a spot in the main draw as a ‘lucky loser’.
Already at Wimbledon this year, there are six lucky losers, with four in the men’s event and two in the women’s. More could eventuate over the next 24 hours, but here’s a look at the Wimbledon 2024 lucky losers so far.
Men’s Lucky Losers at Wimbledon 2024
1. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
On Sunday, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina withdrew from Wimbledon due to a back injury. The Spaniard had been hoping to recover in time, but was unable.
As a result, Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was handed a lucky loser spot in the Wimbledon draw. Mpetshi Perricard had played brilliantly in qualifying as the event’s top seed, winning both of his opening matches in straight sets.
However, in the third round of qualifying, Maxime Janvier edged out the big server 6-7(10), 7-5, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to end his run. Now, the Frenchman has been gifted a second chance. He will play No. 20 seed Sebastian Korda in the first round, and will look to cause an upset with his massive first serve.
2. James Duckworth
Australia’s James Duckworth also benefited from the withdrawal of a player due to injury. His place came courtesy of Corentin Moutet pulling out of Wimbledon due to a bone bruise he hadn’t been able to recover form.
Moutet’s withdrawal was controversial, as he did so just minutes after the main draw was announced. Critics sniped that the Frenchman had done so to increase the chances of a fellow countryman gaining a spot in the draw.
Instead, it was James Duckworth who received a lucky loser spot. The Australian will face compatriot Alex de Minaur in the first round. The pair have played once before, with De Minaur winning 6-4, 6-4.
3. Luca van Assche
Young Frenchman Luca van Assche earnt a lucky loser spot thanks to Dominik Koepfer pulling out of Wimbledon. The German had been struggling with an ankle injury that caused him to withdraw from the Eastbourne Open as well
Van Assche ground his way through the first two rounds of qualifying, winning each of his opening matches by way of deciding set tiebreaks. In the third round, however, he fell short against fellow French player Lucas Pouille, going down in straight sets.
Now, he’s given a second chance, and will play veteran Fabio Fognini in the first round.
4. Daniel Elahi Galan
Columbia’s Daniel Elahi Galan is the final men’s lucky loser as of writing, with the world No 103 grabbing a spot in the main draw on Monday morning. His place comes due to Pablo Carreno Busta withdrawing with a leg injury.
Elahi Galan narrowly missed out on direct entry to the main draw. He played well across the first two rounds of qualifying, winning in straight sets, before falling in four to Radu Albot in the final round.
Women’s Lucky Losers at Wimbledon 2024
1. Renata Zarazua
Renata Zarazua is the most recent lucky loser to gain entry to the main draw of Wimbledon 2024. Her spot comes courtesy of No. 20 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrawing due to illness.
Zarazua will face Emma Raducanu, with the British hope having been scheduled to face Alexandrova. Raducanu and Zarazua will now play second on Centre Court, after Carlos Alcaraz and Mark Lajal.
The Mexican had scratched her way to the third round of qualifying, winning in two sets and three sets across the opening two rounds. However, she fell at the final hurdle to McCartney Kessler, losing in three sets.
2. Olga Danilovic
Olga Danilovic was the first women’s lucky loser to receive a spot at this year’s Wimbledon.
The Serbian also fell short in qualifying. She had won her first match in straight sets, then edged out Antonia Ruzic in a three-setter to make the third round. However, against Dalma Galfi, she was unable to prevail, losing 6-1, 7-6(6).
She’ll now face Anca Todoni in the first round of Wimbledon this week.
Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things sport to bring the best betting analysis and predictions here at Mr Fixits Tips.
