History of the NCAA wild card and why the USTA should grant it to all NCAA champions
A few weeks ago, the Tennis Channel aired a segment with Andy Roddick discussing the recently announced 2021 US Open wild cards. Venus Williams, the 7-time major champion, headlined the list of otherwise mostly rising American stars. Included in that list were 2021 NCAA singles winners Emma Navarro of UVA and Sam Riffice of Florida. After the segment, and without giving it much thought, I asked Roddick (via Twitter) if he thought non-American NCAA winners should receive a US Open wild card. Here was his response: I wasn’t surprised by his stance; I understand the argument that the US Open wild cards should be reserved for Americans. With that said, I was disappointed in his reasoning. There are only 4 countries who host major tournaments: Australia, England, France, and the US. Firstly, I don’t think precedence for how other countries handle their wild cards should determine how the US operates, and, secondly, it’s a total strawman argument. There is no equivalent to college tennis in ...