Raducanu’s protected ranking is not No 85 (her position after her last match in Stuttgart) as WTA rules state that it is after the last event in which a player received prize money. This was Madrid, where Raducanu withdrew hours before her match and was entitled to a payment.
Emma Raducanu set for Australian Open return....but likely through qualifying due to Protected Ranking
WTAWednesday, 06 December 2023 at 02:38
Emma Raducanu was among the slew of players to enter the Australian Open through her protected ranking, but there is a caveat to the return of the former US Open champion which could see her be a huge name in qualifying.
Raducanu will need six player withdrawals to avoid having to go through qualifying at Melbourne Park after falling short of the cut. Having not played since April, she has an injury protected ranking only of No.103 which is several places underneath the top 99 which is held by Claire Liu currently.
Star power unlikely to make Aus Wildcard surge
With many big name returnees in the Women's Draw and also many of Australia's top talents not getting in automatically, the chances despite her star power of Raducanu getting in are slim.
She would also need three wins to make the main draw and would potentially face a seed in the first round similar to Rafael Nadal making her vulnerable when it comes to an early exit.
It can be noted also that if she had attempted to play Madrid back in April after Stuttgart, her protected ranking would've been No.85 meaning no such issues would've arose.
Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Amanda Anisimova among others are those who have currently entered through protected rankings. While Bianca Andreescu and Petra Kvitova are two players likely to miss Melbourne after failing to register before the cut off, with the Entry List set to be confirmed shortly.
These non entries though do not benefit Raducanu who will now likely have the scrutiny of Qualifying among the media on her return as well as the current external pressures she faces.
How path to the Main Draw currently looks for Raducanu
1. Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia (Protected world No 99)
2. Kamilla Rakhimova, Russia (Actual world No 100)
3. Yafan Wang, China (Actual world No 101)
4. Julia Grabher, Austria (Actual world No 102)
5. Tamara Zidansek, Slovenia (Actual world No 103)
6. Emma Raducanu, GB (Protected world No 103)
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