Tennis Australia avoids controversy by giving Pratt wildcard

Today’s News: Tennis Australia gives Pratt wildcard and Schnyder says that Hingis may have to battle her nerves

Tennis Australia has narrowly avoided a major controversy by awarding Australian player Nicole Pratt a wildcard into the main draw of next week’s Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts. The world No. 126 was defeated by Sophie Ferguson in the wildcard playoff, but protested that she still deserved a place in the main draw.

From The Courier Mail:

It’s a timely salve for the veteran who made no secret of her earlier beef at having to play off for a wildcard in the first place.

“If someone asks me how I feel about something then I’m going to be truthful,” said Pratt, who felt that, as a former top-ranked Australian returning from injury, she deserved an automatic place in the Gold Coast tournament. “I was disappointed I didn’t get (a wildcard) earlier and that I had to play off for a spot but on the other hand I’ve got some good matches under my belt now, and I’m grateful that Tennis Australia has acknowledged the effort I have put in.”

She accused TA of having a lack of respect for her.

“I do think I have been treated unfairly in the past considering what I have achieved,” she said. “But everyone deserves a second chance and I’m willing to try to open the lines of dialogue with people involved in the sport.”

TA’s Player Development director Craig Tiley said relations with Pratt were improving and he sympathised with her stance on the Gold Coast this week.

“Because she is our third highest ranked player in the world and probably deserved an automatic wildcard,” Tiley said. “As it turns out we were able to give her one eventually but I commend her for going through playoffs anyway. “I don’t have an issue with any comments she has made to the media but players still have to understand that wildcards are not a right. They are a privilege.”

Schnyder says Hingis’ biggest battle may be her nerves

The top player at next week’s Mondial Australian Open, Patty Schnyder, has said that Martina Hingis’ biggest problem could be overcoming her nerves once she makes her comeback. Schnyder, who is also from Switzerland, contends in this article from The Age that Hingis “has a pretty good shot once she gets over the nervous thing that’s going on”

Statistically, Patty Schnyder should be worried about her nerves if she faces Hingis next week. The only time that she has beaten Martina was when Hingis retired during their match at the Grand Slam Cup in 1998.

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