Emma Raducanu may have a dilemma incoming and it relates to the next two scheduled WTA 1000 tournaments which have seen Entry Lists confirmed on Tuesday.
Raducanu may need to enter qualifying which she has not wanted to do previously bizarrely and has relied on not doing for the past few tournaments as her ranking has increased sufficiently in order to get back into the position to qualify by right.
But even WTA 500 tournaments are tough to enter if ranking is less than the top 30 with Maria Sakkari, Leylah Fernandez and Peyton Stearns for instance having to play qualifying for Australian Open warm-ups.
The dilemma presented is whether or not to stay at home and recoup for Raducanu who would seemingly want to target a more thorough clay court season this year after Indian Wells and Miami. Both of which are very much the same scenario.
In both Doha and Dubai, Raducanu sits as 13th and 17th alternate for each draw meaning the likelihood she gets in by right is very small as basically half of a draw would have to withdraw for that to happen.
Stranger things have happened but in reality, qualifying is the only route for her. With the need to get a higher ranking for Indian Wells and Miami and being unsure on her next plan after an early exit in Singapore, she could yet play smaller level before that but there are very minimal options unless she plays Cluj or suddenly gets in to Abu Dhabi.
Last season saw a cluster of players in Raducanu, Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka among others clamouring for wildcards with some taking the route of sitting at home instead of grinding for their spot.
Once again looking for a new coach and also an opportunity, Emma Raducanu faces a dilemma.
Raducanu was one of those but has set her sights on competing most weeks on the tour this season. She also needs to look for a new coach which will likely be her full focus for at least pre Doha. The odds could be on Jane O'Donoughue returning for a short stint.
A familiar face at the LTA, she previously took over temporarily from Nick Cavaday during his absence at the start of last season. But with Cavaday providing much needed stability, the balance will be there in getting someone in who is not just a flashy appointment e.g Tursunov or Beltz but also will be around for a while.
So while perhaps the big issue of having to wait for a call-up is there, so is the coaching carousel. Reaching the third round of the Australian Open, she emerged with some credit despite being well beaten by Iga Swiatek. But when a rise comes, so does a fall as Cristina Bucsa showed in Singapore.
She thought she'd stay for the Lunar New Year but now it is back home and back to the drawing board. Now also fresh in the knowledge that with WTA 1000's aplenty until clay, it won't be easy for a simple return to the tour without perhaps some smaller level tournaments to build ranking.
Emma tournament entry updates
— Emma Raducanu Fans (@RaducanuNews) January 28, 2025
Doha - 13th alternate into main draw
Dubai - 17th alternate into main draw
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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