Wild Card vs Lucky Loser

Every professional tennis draw is filled through a set of entry routes. Most places go to the highest-ranked players, a few are handed out by the tournament, and the rest are earned in qualifying. When someone withdraws late, the replacement follows a fixed order, not the tournament director's mood.

Direct entry and wild cards

Direct acceptance is the default route: the entry list is filled in ranking order until the main-draw places reserved for ranked players run out. The cut-off is the ranking of the last player who gets in.

Wild cards are places the tournament gives at its own discretion. They usually go to home players, rising juniors, former champions or big names returning from injury. A player who accepts a wild card is obliged to turn up and play. Under WTA rules, a player who is already in the draw with a protected ranking may still accept a wild card before the qualifying sign-in deadline.

Special exempts exist for players still competing the previous week. Under ATP and WTA rules, a player who reaches the late rounds of one tournament and cannot get to the next week's qualifying in time can receive a special exempt into that next main draw; the WTA holds one such place at each tournament.

Qualifiers and lucky losers

Qualifiers win their way in through a separate qualifying competition played just before the main draw, usually over two or three rounds. Players who win their final qualifying match are drawn into the main draw.

Lucky losers are qualifying players who lost, usually in the final round, and are then given a main-draw place because someone withdrew. Under ATP rules, a lucky loser or alternate replaces a player who pulls out before the first ball of his first match is struck. At the Grand Slams, when two or more places open at the same time, the lucky losers who fill them are decided by lot. A WTA player keeps her lucky-loser eligibility for the tournament only if she signs in by the deadline, and her actual ranking, not a protected one, decides her position in the line.

What the letters mean

On a draw sheet the routes are marked next to the name: WC for wild card, Q for qualifier, LL for lucky loser, SE for special exempt and PR or SR for a protected ranking. For the exact rules at a particular event — how many wild cards it has, how many qualifying places, and the lucky-loser deadline — check the current ATP or WTA Rulebook, the Grand Slam Rule Book, or the tournament's fact sheet.