Emma Raducanu, Qualifying Problem Despite A Protected Rating
Emma Raducanu has qualified for the Australian Open in January, but it’s possible that her protected ranking of No. 103 won’t be sufficient to get her into the main event.
Raducanu will have to compete in the very competitive wrecking war of qualifying, which is a 128-player event that begins a week before to the main tournament, unless there are six withdrawals between now and January 8 or the Australian organizers give her a wildcard.
Fans of Emma Raducanu may recall that she accomplished just this in New York a little more than two years prior, her route to being the first qualifier of any gender to win a grand-slam championship. However, those are quite distinct circumstances.
She was a fast-rising, untested eighteen-year-old then, and she was relishing it. She has a large following on social media now, making her one of the most well-known players on the circuit, but after two really turbulent seasons, she needs to rediscover her balance as a player.
Raducanu began slowly raising her workout volume at the National Tennis Centre in southwest London a few weeks ago. After three different procedures in May, she is increasing her workload. She underwent an ankle treatment in addition to two keyhole surgeries to remove “carpal bosses,” or cartilage growths on her wrists.
After eight months without competing, Raducanu’s world ranking has dropped to No. 296 since she hasn’t played a match since Stuttgart in April. Not even for the Melbourne qualifier round would this be high enough. However, long-term injury players have the option to reenter some events at their previous level after they leave the carousel, according to the tennis circuits.
Due to an unfortunate quirk in the regulations, Raducanu’s last pre-injury position will be determined as No. 103, complying with her Madrid match on May 7, instead of No. 85, after her Stuttgart match on April 25. This is so because it is believed that the injury break started following the most recent occurrence for which you were paid.
Raducanu flew to Madrid, where on April 25 she gave an atypically short interview. She then accepted the consolation payment given to wounded players, which is primarily intended to deter them from competing in competitions when they are only partially healthy.
Raducanu flew to Madrid, where on April 25 she gave an atypically short interview. She then accepted the consolation payment given to wounded players, which is primarily intended to deter them from competing in competitions when they are only partially healthy.
She had withdrawn from the exhibition event in mid-November, which was initially planned to take place this past weekend in Macau. Having parted ways with her most recent coach, Sebastian Sachs, and now relying mostly on the Lawn Tennis Association for guidance, it will be intriguing to see who she brings to Australia.
Tennis Australia still has eight wildcards to give out, and Emma Raducanu may still be awarded one, although many of them have already been claimed (by other grand-slam countries, in reciprocal arrangements, and certainly by former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki).
Administrators will have to balance Raducanu’s notoriety with the advantages of assisting Australian women who are placed lower in order to make this difficult decision.
However, there’s a case to be made for Raducanu participating in qualifying nonetheless. Her plans to participate in a warm-up tournament before the Australian Open are yet unknown, but the opportunity to start the tournament in Melbourne against a couple of journey women might provide her the much-needed boost.
