Wimbledon’s “Last 8 Club” and why winners get free tickets for life

The fourth round of Wimbledon begins on Sunday and the players know they are just one win away from the quarterfinals of the championship.

It is a special phase of the tournament as the second week begins and the number of title contenders is narrowed down, with more than just prize money at stake.

Reaching the quarter-finals in the men’s and women’s singles at the All England Club will earn players £375,000 and entry into an exclusive Wimbledon group.

Emma Raducanu, Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton are among the players who want to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the “Last 8 Club” for the first time today.

What is Wimbledon’s Last 8 Club?

Any player who reaches the quarterfinals or last eight in the men’s and women’s singles is allowed to join Wimbledon’s exclusive “Last 8 Club”.

This entails significant benefits for the players, including free tickets to the championships and access to hospitality suits at the All England Club after the end of their playing season.

Last year, American Christopher Eubanks said it was a “dream come true” to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon as an unseeded player and on his debut at the tournament after being told he had lifetime tickets to the All England Club.

“It’s hard to put into words. I can’t really describe it,” he said. “Everything from realizing I have two Wimbledon titles for the rest of my life, to checking my phone and seeing my name as an ESPN alert, to realizing how much I hated grass at the beginning of the grass season, to wondering where I am now. There are so many different ways I could handle this.”

US Open champion Coco Gauff highlighted the “Last 8 Club” as further motivation for the American to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time.

“It would be really special here because I think the club in the last eight is the most established here,” said Gauff before her match against Emma Navarro. “To achieve that would be really cool.”

“Wimbledon is very special. I say that all the time. I’m definitely the most nervous when it comes to Grand Slam tournaments. There’s just something special about the history behind this tournament. It just feels very exclusive.

“Even though it’s my fifth time, it feels new every time and it doesn’t feel like I’ve done this before. It feels fresh every time.

“I think that’s maybe why I always have special memories. I don’t know if it’s because it was my first big tournament. I don’t know if it’s because of that or just Wimbledon itself. For some reason I always get nervous here, especially in the first round. Now I’ve got that behind me, so I’m fine.”