Maria Sharapova misses out on French Open wild card, but where Wimbledon is concerned she has everything to play for

The All England Club may follow in the French Open's lead when it comes to wild cards, but winning a grass court tournament or two would strengthen Sharapova's bid

Sharapova will not have given up on a place at Wimbledon just yet (Getty)

Wimbledon have always done things their own way, following whatever path they think is right, but after the French Open decided not to award Maria Sharapova a wild card it seems increasingly likely that the All England Club might come to the same decision next month.

With Bernard Giudicelli, the president of the French federation, proclaiming that it was his responsibility to “protect the game”, it would take a bold move by the All England Club to come to a different conclusion when it decides on the recipients of the eight wild cards at its disposal for the women’s singles.

Nevertheless, much could still happen over the next five weeks to influence Wimbledon’s decision, which will not be made until June 20, 13 days before competition starts at the All England Club.

If Sharapova were to win a grass-court title or two in the build-up to The Championships, for example, Wimbledon might look more favourably on her case.

For the moment the one certainty is that Sharapova has not earned automatic entry into the main draw at Wimbledon. Her second-round defeat to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in Rome on Tuesday night, when she retired hurt when leading 6-4, 3-6, 2-1, means that she has failed to earn enough ranking points ahead of next week’s cut-off to secure an automatic place in the main draw.

Sharapova retired hurt while leading Lucic-Baroni (Getty)

However, the 2004 champion should have enough points from her first three comeback tournaments following her 15-month suspension for a doping offence to make the field for the Wimbledon qualifying competition, which is held at Roehampton the week before competition begins at the All England Club.

Given Sharapova’s response when asked recently about the possibility of playing in in the qualifiers for the French Open – the former world No 1 said she would have been happy to play in the junior tournament if it meant being able to compete at Roland Garros – it is a reasonable assumption that she would adopt the same approach to Wimbledon.

Sharapova did not make the field for the qualifying tournament in Paris because the cut-off date for entries was a fortnight ago, after she had played her first comeback tournament in Stuttgart, where her defeat in the semi-finals left her just short of the ranking points she needed. The world rankings are decided by a rolling total of points earned over the previous 12 months.

That left the French tennis federation, and in particular its new president, in a position where the only way Sharapova could play in Paris would have been through a wild card into either the qualifying competition or the main draw.

Giudicelli, however, quickly acknowledged that it would be difficult to justify giving Sharapova a free passage with one hand while strengthening his organisation’s fight against doping with the other.

It was a point he underlined in explaining the federation’s verdict. “You can get a wild card when you return from injury but you cannot get a wild card when returning from a doping suspension,” Giudicelli said. “I appreciate the media impact of Maria, I appreciate the broadcasters’ expectations, but in conscience it was not possible to go beyond the anti-doping code and beyond the application of the rules.”

The Russian is a two-time Roland-Garros champion (Getty)

Considering that Roland Garros will also be without both Serena Williams, who is pregnant, and Roger Federer, who has decided to skip the entire clay-court season in order to strengthen his chances of winning a record eighth Wimbledon title, it was a bold demonstration of Giudicelli’s assertion that the tournament is bigger than any individuals.

Remarkably enough, some bookmakers rated Sharapova as second favourite to win the women’s title in Paris for a third time, despite the fact that she would have needed a wild card to play there.

Wimbledon, in contrast to the French Open, is likely to have the luxury of knowing that even without offering Sharapova a wild card there is every chance that she will play at the All England Club this summer by winning three matches in the qualifying competition.

Twelve months ago the last player to earn direct entry into the qualifying tournament was the world No 213. Sharapova is currently ranked No 211, but the 60 ranking points she earned with her first-round victory in Rome over Christina McHale should take her into the world’s top 180 next week.

Sharapova’s presence at Roehampton would present Wimbledon with a logistical challenge given that the event usually attracts just a few hundred spectators, but the All England Club has already considered such an eventuality and would be ready for it.

Philip Brook, the Wimbledon chairman, insisted earlier this month that no decision on wild cards would be made until a meeting of the Club’s tennis sub-committee on 20 June. Wimbledon begins on Monday 3 July.

Sharapova's presence at Wimbledon qualifying would be a logistical challenge (Getty)

“We have a long-standing, tried and tested process.” Brook said. “In the week before qualifying we have a meeting of our tennis sub-committee. We discuss all the wild card applications at that point in time. This year is no different. We will wait and see whether Maria applies for a wild card and, if so, we will consider the case alongside everyone else’s.”

The tennis sub-committee is chaired by Tim Henman and comprises three more representatives of the All England Club (Brook, Debbie Jevans and Richard Stoakes), two representatives of the Lawn Tennis Association (Cathie Sabin and Martin Corrie) and the tournament referee (Andrew Jarrett).

One of the many criteria considered by the committee when deciding on wild cards will be results in the early weeks of the grass-court season.

The 2004 Wimbledon champion will not give up on playing at this summer's tournament just yet (Getty)

Sharapova’s absence from the French Open means she will have more time to play on grass and opens up the possibility that she could try to play in the tournaments at Nottingham or Rosmalen in the Netherlands immediately after Roland Garros.

If she were to win one of those events that would undoubtedly strengthen her case. Moreover, even though the wild cards meeting is being held in the following week, the committee could delay a decision on Sharapova, pending possible results in the tournaments at either Majorca or Edgbaston.

For Sharapova there is still everything to play for.