LTA toughens Wimbledon wild card route

The way Wimbledon wild cards are awarded to British players has been toughened up by the Lawn Tennis Association.

Any man who has received three in his career will not get another automatically unless he is inside the world's top 150. That affects players such as Arvind Parmar and Jamie Delgado, who will either have to climb up the rankings or win a playoff because they have already used up their allocation. First-round losers in the men's singles last summer earned almost £7,000.

LTA performance director David Felgate said: "We're raising the bar once more. I do think, at that time of year, players have sat back and thought of their Wimbledon wild card. They won't be able to do that any more. The players know where they stand.They have had the letter and it's crystal clear."

Other British players in the men's top 300 or women's top 250 can receive wild cards automatically but the rest will have to compete for them in the play-offs.