Tatjana Maria’s return to Queens Club for the HSBC Championships, a tournament that she had won last year, has run into a controversy that refuses to die down. The 38-year-old German was denied a wildcard into the main draw by the LTA, a move that has drawn widespread ire from fans and members of the tennis fraternity.
Maria, whose big serve and unusual slice-and-dice game is tailor-made for the slick grass, had surprised everyone by beating big names en-route to the title at Queen’s Club last year. She had come through the qualifiers and beat the likes of former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina, then reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, Karolina Muchova, Leylah Fernandez and Amanda Anisimova to lift the trophy.
