Wednesday 11 June 2014 19:04, UK
Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis has been handed a wild card entry into the men’s singles at Wimbledon, along with a number of British players.
The Cypriot defeated Marinko Matosevic to claim his first singles title since 2010 in the final of the Nottingham Aegon Classic last week, although he was forced to retire during his second round match against Stan Wawrinka in the Aegon Championships on Wednesday.
Baghdatis suffered a shoulder injury but his confident he will still be able to play in the Grand Slam event.
"Hopefully it will be three or four days, but I should be fine for Wimbledon," he said. "There shouldn't be any problems with that.
"It's disappointing to miss out but you can't do anything about injuries, all I have to do now is work hard to get ready for Wimbledon."
British duo Dan Evans and James Ward, who both lost at Queen’s Club on Tuesday, will also feature in the first round draw at SW19 along with compatriot Dan Cox.
Promising British teenager Kyle Edmund receives a wild card entry for the second year running, despite not falling inside the world's top 250 ranking berths.
The policy of the Lawn Tennis Association is to propose British players ranked 250 or higher in the world, leaving Baghdatis and Edmund, 19, as the exceptions.
Brit Dan Smethurst squeezes in by virtue of sitting 243rd in the world, with two further men’s wild card places yet to be confirmed.
British trio Naomi Broady, Tara Moore and Samantha Murray have been handed entries into the ladies' singles draw, with Czech Kristyna Pliskova also on the list.
American prospect Taylor Townsend is yet to receive a wild card entry, despite reaching the girls' juniors finals last year, although there are four further women's wild cards still to be confirmed.
The 18-year-old reached the third round of the French Open and is thought to be in the running to be added to the wild card roster in due course.
Meanwhile, Martina Hingis is returning to play at Wimbledon for the first time in seven years.
The former singles and doubles champion from Switzerland has been granted a wild card by the All England Club for the women's doubles tournament in which she will partner Russia's Vera Zvonareva, a former doubles winner and singles runner-up.
