Emma Raducanu has reportedly requested a main draw wildcard from the Australian Open organizers, via British paper i.
Raducanu, who has a protected ranking of No. 103, didn’t make the main draw cut. Instead, Raducanu is currently listed in the Australian Open qualifying.
When the entry list was released, Raducanu was six spots short of the main draw. Since then, a couple of players have withdrawn from the Australian Open and Raducanu is now two spots away from making the main draw directly.
According to i, Raducanu hasn’t yet received a positive or negative indication from the Australian Open organizers regarding her request. But since there is still time left before the qualifying starts, the Australian Open organizers may be waiting to see if Raducanu will indeed require a main draw wildcard.
Raducanu hopes to make her third Australian Open main draw appearance in 2024
After losing in the Australian Open second round in her debut in 2022, Raducanu was also beaten by Coco Gauff in the 2023 Australian Open second round. However, it should be noted that Raducanu was hampered by an ankle injury and that she just barely managed to compete at the 2023 Australian Open.
“13 days ago I would have — like, with what I had to be in the draw right now is a massive, you know, effort and achievement. I would say, like, all the chips were against us, and the chances of me playing this tournament were very, very low. So I had extremely limited practice time, and I think I can say that now I’m not, like, competing anymore (laughing),” Raducanu said after her 2023 Australian Open exit.
“But, yeah, it was obviously going to be a push to get me on the court. I think 13 days ago if you would have told us, like, Hey, you’re going to be in the draw and win a round, it would have been a massive effort for sure. Saying that, I still think I didn’t necessarily play my best today. Although, like, the second set I had chances and were pushing, it was still I felt like I could have done better myself. But props to her. She’s a great, great opponent and great athlete.”
It remains to be seen if Raducanu will need to play in the Australian Open qualifying.
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