Former top 10 singles player and Wimbledon doubles champion Jack Sock is back in the main draw at the All-England Club after successfully qualifying on Thursday. Sock cruised past Hugo Grenier 7-5, 7-5, 6-4.
His own injury-related struggles combined with the Covid-19 pandemic mean that the 29-year-old American has not played at Wimbledon since 2018, when he got a tough draw and lost to Matteo Berrettini from two sets up in the first round. Sock’s best performance in SW19 came six years ago, when he reached the third round before falling to eventual runner-up Milos Raonic.
Lucas Rosol is perhaps the second-most well-known name among qualifiers–not because of his overall body of work throughout his career, but because of previous exploits at none other than Wimbledon. In 2012, Rosol stunned Rafael Nadal in five sets during second-round action.
The 36-year-old Czech had not been in the Wimbledon main draw since 2017, but he has finally returned thanks to a 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Renzo Olivo in the final round.
Other men’s qualifiers on Thursday were Marc-Andrea Huesler, Dennis Novak, Christian Harrison, Enzo Couacaud, Alexander Ritschard, Nicola Kuhn, Max Purcell, Maximilian Marterer, Radu Albot, Mikhail Kukushkin, Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Lukas Klein, and Andrea Vavassori.
On the women’s side, former world No. 12 Yanina Wickmayer qualified for the field of 128 by beating Jang Su-Jeong 6-1, 6-4. Wickmayer, who gave birth to a daughter 14 months ago, reached the fourth round at the All-England Club in 2011. She did not drop a single set in three matches this week in Roehampton.
Wickmayer will be joined in the draw by Mirjam Bjorklund, the girlfriend of Denis Shapovalov. Bjorklund, also a qualifier at Roland Garros last month, got the best of Maria Lourdes Carle 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-1.
The rest of the women’s qualifiers are Fernanda Contreras Gomez, Maja Chwalinska, Louisa Chirico, Maja Chwalinska, Astra Sharma, Mai Hontama, Catherine Harrison, Maddison Inglis, Katarzyna Kawa, Jana Fett, Jeaimee Fourlis, Christina McHale, and Emina Bektas.
I wonder if Nadal fans are still afraid of Rosol in 2022…
Only if the roof was closed 😉
Good to see Sock back.