Germany’s Maria says should have got more respect after Queen’s wildcard snub
LONDON, June 9 : Reigning Queen’s Club champion Tatjana Maria said she should have been given more respect after being forced to qualify for the WTA grasscourt tournament this week. The German, then 37, won the title last year when the women’s tour returned to the venue after a 52-year absence. She was the oldest winner of a WTA 500 tournament. But she had to come through the qualifying tournament this year after not receiving one of the four wildcards, all of which were handed to lower-ranked British players. “It feels almost like a normal tournament because I had to start over again in qualifying,” Maria, who was made an honorary life member at the London club after her title run last year, told BBC Sport. “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.” Wildcards, awarded at organisers’ discretion to players whose ranking does not merit main-draw entry, are often reserved for home players. “I …
