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.
When is
Raducanu returning to competition?
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.
