Wimbledon’s main draw doesn’t start for another two days and already the first mini-controversy is brewing. When the All England Club elected to designate Sabine Lisicki, last year’s runner-up, to Open Tuesday’s Centre Court festivities in the slot reserved for the defending champion, some people cried foul. (Traditionally, the reigning men’s champion opens Monday play on Centre Court while the reigning women’s champion opens Tuesday play.)
More: Rafael Nadal Scheduling Snub Creates Twitter Uproar
In this particularly ambiguous situation, there is no defending champion due to Marion Bartoli’s sudden retirement after her 2013 title, so the tournament, according to SI’s Jon Wertheim had one of two choices: It could have its last Defending champion, in this case Serena Williams (who is a five-time Wimbledon champion and certainly worthy of any dignities that the tournament could wish to bestow upon her), fill the defending champion’s spot, or it could have last year’s runner-up Sabine Lisicki take the spot.
The tournament went with Lisicki, and as was the case when Rafael Nadal opened his Roland Garros bid on Court Suzanne Lenglen, not everybody was happy.
Fans of Williams will likely be a little miffed about the perceived snub, but if it ends up giving the 17-time Grand Slam champion that extra bit of bulletin board motivation, then, just like Rafael Nadal in Paris, Williams and her fans could be the last ones laughing in the end.
If the tournament wants to rethink its decision, it could always go along with this slightly crazy yet pleasingly neutral idea:
Why not? It would avert controversy, and pay homage to the defending champion all at once. Brilliant idea.