‘Wish I could say I’m surprised’: Aussie No. 1 snubbed for wildcard

Arina Rodionova has taken a swipe at the Australian Open organisers after she was snubbed for a wildcard spot despite currently boasting the highest rankings spot among all competing Australian women on the tour.

The world no.105 could have even been in the double digits with another win in Brisbane, but she’ll have to fight her way through the cutthroat qualifiers this week instead of being given an auto-entry.

It’s a surprise call considering her successful her last season was; the no.1-ranked Australian enjoyed a surge in the WTA Tour, winning ITF events in Australia, the U.K., Portugal, and Canada. Even more incredibly, her sizzling year came after she underwent wrist surgery in 2022, which saw her slip to as low as 350th on February 27.

Several other Aussies were given the nod in the wildcard pool, including Kimberley Birrell, Olivia Gadecki, Taylah Preston, and Daria Saville, the last of whom has been on the comeback trail since tearing her ACL fifteen months ago. Former champion Caroline Wozniacki, who won in 2018, was also included in the list. Rodionova was nowhere to be seen among the invites.

“I wish I could say I am surprised,” she wrote after the news broke. “But honestly, the satisfaction of achieving it all absolutely on your own, despite all this stuff, it is worth it. I will see you guys at AO qualies… I am PUMPED. Let’s fucking go.”

“If it was up to me, I would give it [the wildcard] to myself but there’s other people involved,” she said earlier this week after upseting 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. “Hopefully they like the way I’m playing this week. I’ve done all the hard work, I put myself in the best position and there’s nothing else I could have done to get myself closer.”

The 34-year-old has already started her 2024 season well, defeating Martina Trevisan and Sofia Kenin in Brisbane before losing to Mirra Andreeva in the round of sixteen. The victory over no.14 Kenin was a hard-fought battle, with Rodionova winning the first 7-5 before taking a 9-7 tiebreak win in a tight second game.

Rodionova’s qualifying campaign begins against Leolia Jeanjean at 5.20pm today.