Patty Schnyder will play in her first WTA Main draw since the 2011 French Open after being awarded a wildcard for the upcoming Swiss Open.
The former world No.7 and Australian Open semifinalist returned to the tour last summer, playing in a series of ITF tournaments around the world. Since her comeback, Schnyder has won two ITF $10,000 titles in Prague (2015) and Bastad (2016). She also reached the final of the $25,000 Bangkok Open, losing to Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi.
Earlier this year, the 37-year-old had the chance of playing in the main draw at the Charleston Open after receiving a wildcard into qualifying. Her qualifying campaign ended in disappointment with a first round loss to America’s Samantha Crawford.
Returning to the tour was a decision that Schnyder never really explained. She didn’t attribute it to a desire to re-enter the top-100 or to play in another grand slam tournament. Instead, the popular Swiss player said in 2015 that her goal is to just enjoy herself on the tour.
“There’s no particular reason [why],” Schnyder said about her comeback.
“I just want to enjoy myself and play some stronger opponents. I crave the competition. It’s not like I ever really stopped due to my work as a coach in Hanover and playing in the German league for Braunschweig.”
Through her career, the 37-year-old has reached 27 WTA finals, winning titles in 11 of them. She has also defeated some of the biggest names in women’s tennis. These include Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, Kim Clijsters and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
Currently ranked 399th in the world, Schnyder is one of two players awarded a wildcard into the Swiss Open (the other being Viktorija Golubic). The tournament will get underway on July 9th and be headlined by top-20 players Timea Bacsinszky and Carla Suarez Navarro.
Highlights of Patty Schnyder in action at this year’s Charleston Open (video via opencourt.ca)
