Emma Raducanu has secured a spot within the top-100 of the UTR Ranking, despite being the World No. 252 in the WTA Ranking. The British tennis player was absent for a significant part of 2023 and struggled to accumulate points, but upon her return in 2024 after an injury, she has shown an improvement in her performance.
The 2021 US Open champion underwent surgeries on both wrists and her ankle, leaving positive impressions upon her return. Currently, she holds a 3-4 record this year, with a notable victory over the World No. 18 Marie Bouzkova last week at the WTA Qatar Open.
In her initial months back on the Tour, she reached No. 63 in the UTR ranking, which employs a different methodology compared to the conventional WTA system. The UTR considers points from the last 52 weeks, taking into account the rounds that players reach in each tournament.
For the UTR ranking, victories against higher-ranked opponents carry more weight in the calculation. Raducanu's impressive triumph over Bouzkova was pivotal, showcasing her ability to compete with the best in the world and contributing to her ranking improvement.
The 21-year-old British player is awaiting a wild card for Indian Wells to gain access to the tournament's main draw. Raducanu holds a protected ranking of 103, which places her outside the direct entry list, and she did not register for the qualifying rounds, anticipating an invitation from the organizers.
A similar situation unfolds for the Miami Open, where she also hopes to receive a wild card, though confirmation is pending. If an invitation to the main draw doesn't materialize for either of the Sunshine Double tournaments, Raducanu might consider participating in the WTA 125 Charleston in the second week of March or the San Luis Open in Mexico to prevent further decline in the rankings.
Raducanu d. Bouzkova 6-4 6-1 in Abu Dhabi Watching Emma play so aggressively in this comeback has been something else She has nothing to lose & the world to gain If there’s one thing we learned from her US Open run… It’s that a free-swinging Emma is someone to fear. 🇬🇧❤️
