Big-name qualifiers, record-breakers livening up field for Wimbledon

LONDON—An unusually prominent group of players has qualified for this year's Wimbledon, with former Grand Slam finalists and top 10 players among those getting into the draw the hard way.

Eugenie Bouchard and Vera Zvonareva, both former finalists at the event, qualified this time around. Bouchard's ranking has dropped following a prolonged stretch of poor play, while this will be Zvonareva's first Grand Slam appearance since returning to tour following retirement and childbirth.

"I have earned my place in the draw and I’m proud of that," Bouchard was quoted as saying.

Zvonareva described herself as "proud" of her comeback. "I worked hard to get in shape," said Zvonareva. "I've always enjoyed playing at Wimbledon, now I get another chance, it's great."

Former top 10 player Ernests Gulbis is among the men's qualifiers, the second straight major for which he has qualified. Former No. 17 Bernie Tomic, a former quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, fell in the final round of qualifying but got in when others withdrew.

So did Peter Polansky, getting into his third straight major thanks to withdrawals -- a record, according to the ITF. Simone Bolleli, meanwhile, has now done it five times during his career -- another record.

Ruben Bemelmans set a record for being the most frequent qualifier at the majors, doing it for the fifth time in his career. Stephane Robert, 38, is the second-oldest qualifier in the Open Era.

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Some previously promising young players whose careers were derailed by injury also got in. Among them is Christian Harrison, who is the younger brother of Ryan Harrison, and has had seven surgeries during his career.

"It's special because my family is here, we're all staying in the same spot, they were with me the whole step of the way," said Christian Harrison.

It also includes Alex Bolt and Jason Kubler, who along with John-Patrick Smith were three Aussies coming through qualifying. Bolt, playing poorly and having elbow problems, quit tennis two years ago.

"I decided that if I wasn’t enjoying myself, there was just no point so I decided to take some time away," Bolt said, who took up another job before making a comeback. “I was putting up fences around tennis courts."

Kubler, whose knee problems have prompted him to play mostly claycourt events in recent years, got three straight wins on grass to qualify.

Qualifiers will receive a minimum £39,000 for playing.

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