Australian Open 2025: Lucky losers - panic and low expectations at Melbourne Park
2025-01-14
Category: sports

Australian Open 2025Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne ParkCoverage: Live radio commentary on Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
Getting the call-up as a lucky loser means a second chance for tennis players - but it can often prove a stressful experience.Lucky losers are players who lose in qualifying at a tournament, but receive a place in the main draw if another player withdraws through injury or illness.Four players have received lucky loser entries into the men's and women's singles draws at the Australian Open.Three of them - including Britain's Harriet Dart - have claimed first-round wins.But being told you are in the draw, sometimes just minutes before you are due on court, is far from ideal."You never really know what's going to happen with being the first lucky loser," said British number four Dart, who was given one hour's notice before her three-set win.Dart, who battled cramp and saved match points in her victory, said: "I got here pretty early, practised, and was fortunate enough to be able to play. "When you get a chance, you really want to take it, and I was really happy to get over the line."Another victorious lucky loser was Eva Lys, who was lying on a physio table receiving treatment when she was summoned.The world number 128, who was given 10 minutes' notice, beat Australian number one Kimberly Birrel 6-2 6-2, but admitted she was "panicking" over the lack of preparation."I actually had my flight back booked for tomorrow morning," Germany's Lys, 23, said."I didn't really prepare my drinks, I didn't have match clothes on. I went to the locker room, got changed straight away, and then they called my name."So no warm-up, no anything. Maybe that's the key for next match."On the lucky loser experience, she added: "If you are a lucky loser, you don't expect much. Your tournament is kind of over."But a lot of people gave me hope that there was a possibility for me to get in. That's why I was here the whole day, from 9am until 11pm, because you never know if someone is going to pull out. "I went out and had no expectations. I was definitely the lucky one."
Such luck can have a big impact financially. A player contesting the Australian Open first round will pocket 132,000 Australian dollars (Â£67,000) - an additional 50,000 Australian dollars (Â£25,300) compared to reaching the third qualifying round. Having already played three qualifying matches before their often last-minute opportunities to contest the main draw, it is unsurprising that lucky losers do not often go deep into Slams.But it can be done. At the 2023 French Open, Elina Avanesyan became the first lucky loser to reach the last 16 of a major for 30 years  - and the fifth to do so in the Open era.But perhaps nobody can lay claim to being the luckiest loser more than Peter Polansky.In 2018, Canada's Polansky become the first player in history to complete the 'lucky loser Grand Slam' when he made four consecutive lucky-loser appearances at that year's four majors.