Tatjana Maria, last year's Queen's Club women's singles champion, had to go through qualifying rounds to enter the main draw at this year's tournament despite holding the defending champion title [1, 2, 3]. Maria won the 2025 Queen's Club title as a qualifier, becoming the first woman in 52 years to win there and the oldest winner of a WTA 500 tournament at age 37 [1, 2, 3].
Maria was ranked 52nd in the world during the tournament, which was insufficient for direct entry into the 28-player main draw [1, 2, 3]. All four wildcards instead went to lower-ranked British players: Katie Boulter (73), Fran Jones (98), Harriet Dart (160), and Mika Stojsavljevic (261) [1, 2, 3].
Maria expressed surprise and disappointment at not receiving a wildcard as defending champion, saying, "I was surprised when I got the message of [tournament director] Laura Robson saying all the wildcards would go to the British players, which I understand. But as a champion, it's tough for me. It is something that should be normal. If you are champion of an event and you don't get in the year after, I think automatically this should be considered" [1]. She added, "Already what I did last year was amazing and to be a champion here, I thought I deserved a wildcard and to get a little bit of respect" [1]. Maria also noted, "It didn't feel [different to last year]. It feels almost like a normal tournament because I had to start over again in qualifying" [1].
Maria was made an honorary life member of Queen's Club after her title win last year [1, 2, 3].
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) explained that wildcards are aimed at supporting British players' development and benefiting the British game. An LTA spokesperson said, "The LTA owns and invests in staging these events for the benefit of the British game as a whole -- so fans can see world class international players from around the world, and support our British players, but also so British players are afforded the playing opportunities to progress their careers and climb the rankings" [2, 3].
Maria secured her main draw spot by winning two qualifying matches over the weekend [1]. She will face Greece's Maria Sakkari in the first round on Tuesday [1, 2, 3].
