Oliver Crawford switch from US to GB ‘not for Wimbledon wild cards’

Oliver Crawford has insisted that the opportunity to gain lucrative Wimbledon wild cards was not behind his decision to switch nationality from the United States to Great Britain.

The 24-year-old, whose parents both hail from Birmingham, is the last British player standing in the final round of the Australian Open qualifying draw. Ryan Peniston, Billy Harris, Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones all lost in the second round on Thursday.

This is the first tournament in which Crawford has played under the British flag. With a world ranking of No 213, he has largely played on the lower-tier ATP Challenger and ITF Futures circuits since he turned professional in 2020.

A ranking inside the top 250 is generally enough to be considered for a wild card