Emma Raducanu could receive a significant boost from the WTA Tour if she decides to sit out the rest of the season because of injury. The British player has fallen to 107th in the world rankings after being sidelined since June with a stress fracture in her right leg.
Injury lay-off and ranking slide
Raducanu reached the Queen's Club final in June but has not played since losing to Donna Vekic. The 23-year-old missed Wimbledon and the US Open and has dropped to British No.3, behind Katie Boulter and Fran Jones.
She was initially on the entry list for the recent China Open but later withdrew. The former US Open champion could still enter one of the next six events before the WTA Finals, but she would benefit from a protected ranking if she focuses on recovery until the end of the tennis season next month.
Protected ranking rules
If Raducanu misses at least six months due to injury, she can request a special ranking from the WTA. This would allow her to use her ranking of 31st from the time of her injury to enter up to eight tournaments, including a maximum of two Grand Slams, when she potentially returns next season. Her current 107th ranking would make it difficult for her to qualify for WTA events.
It remains to be seen whether Raducanu will enter the upcoming WTA events in Ningbo, Osaka, Tokyo, Guangzhou, Chennai and Hong Kong. She is not currently on the entry list for the final events of the year, though she could apply for a wildcard. She would be eligible for a protected ranking when the new season begins in January.
Recovery updates and predictions
There have been few updates on her recovery while she has been on the sidelines. Tennis icon Andy Roddick previously predicted a lengthy lay-off for the former Grand Slam winner.
“We might not even see her for the rest of this year,” Roddick said on his Served podcast in August. “It just stinks because she is so good and it’s just the stop and start of things.
“You can’t get around a stress fracture, that’s not a pain tolerance thing at all. It has to heal or you are going to cause extreme long-term damage. It just stinks.
“She could be such a bright spot for the tours and it just seems like there are speed bumps all the time, which is just unfortunate. It sucks. I hope she gets better.”
