London: From the 2015 high of Australia's biggest Wimbledon singles representation in 20 years, the skinnier current contingent includes just two sightings of (AUS) in the women's draw. Sam Stosur, the 14th seed, was due to open her 14th campaign at her least successful grand slam on Monday. Which leaves just Daria Gavrilova to follow. Not since Stosur's solo performance at 2013 Wimbledon have the pickings been so slim.
The 2011 junior champion, Ash Barty, was the sole Australian in the qualifying draw, as the 20-year-old embarks along the path back from an extended break that included a flirtation with retirement and a dalliance with Big Bash cricket. Ajla Tomljanovic, who plays under the Australian flag at the grand slams while awaiting citizenship, had shoulder surgery in March. Also missing from last year's cast is Casey Dellacqua, now effectively a doubles specialist, and another shoulder victim, Jarmila Wolfe.
For Gavrilova, the breakout local star of this year's Australian Open, Wimbledon rates as a unique and special place, and grass as a surface on which she considers herself highly capable. Yet the 22-year-old, who went 2-2 in her lead-up events in Birmingham and Eastbourne, is 0-2 in her brief career at the All England Club, and now faces China's Wang Chiang on the famous lawns, lush after a string of damp days.
"I think my game is good on every surface, so I'm not gonna change anything to play on that surface, so I should be fine," said Gavrilova, who reached the last 16 at Melbourne Park, but has since dipped back outside the top 50. "To me Wimbledon is something so special, so much history here."
Gavrilova does not know Wang, but is very familiar with the world No.73's coach, Australian expat Peter McNamara, and what to expect. "She's gonna be tough, she hits pretty flat, and I think a lot of Chinese girls are good on the grass, so it's not gonna be easy."
The drop-off in numbers from 2015 was not quite so extreme in a men's cast that has dipped from 11 (including two wildcards) last year, to seven, headed by seeded pair Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic. Lleyton Hewitt is retired (well, sort-of), Thanasi Kokkinakis still yet to resume after, yes, shoulder surgery, but with his sights on the Rio Olympics, and there is one fewer qualifier (two - Roehampton specialist Luke Saville and Sydney debutant Matt Barton).
The other first-timer is 91st-ranked Jordan Thompson, who meets 14th seed Roberto Bautista-Agut. "I've got my work cut out," Thompson admitted. "He's a great player. He doesn't miss much and he hits it pretty solid and flat so I'll have to do something pretty special." Special, too, is his upcoming doubles outing with the curiously/temporarily-unretired-again Hewitt, aka John Farnham.
As to how the surprise partnership came about? "Geat question. I have no idea," Thompson admitted. "He sent me a message saying 'we have a wildcard', and I was like 'yeah, great'... I guess he's just trying to help out his Aussies. He's the Davis Cup captain so I think he's trying to help everybody."
That includes the admirable journeyman John Millman: first-time qualifier and first round winner over 19th seed Tommy Robredo last year; now a direct entry guy and surprise Aussie No.3. He has a winnable match against Albert Montanes, the Spanish veteran contesting his 12th Wimbledon. As Millman cheerfully pointed out, "that's 11 times more than me".
"I'm looking forward to it, I think it's a decent draw, and I feel as if I'm on top of my game I can give it a red hot crack," said Millman, who can always be relied on for some grand perspective, at grand slams or otherwise, and is determined not to succumb to the pressure of trying to repeat what he achieved at Wimbledon last year.
"I feel lucky to be here, and I think if you get too caught up with those types of feelings you can forget to appreciate how special this place is, and just how special it is to be here," said the 27-year-old Queenslander.
"I think it's important to soak it all up and make the most of it, because I know more than anyone that you've got to make the most of these experiences, because you don't know when you might not be playing here."
