Emma Raducanu Makes Sudden Schedule Change And Accepts Late Wild Card
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Emma Raducanu will be back in action sooner than expected after receiving a wild card for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open, which starts in a few days.
The Briton hoped to have a strong run at the ongoing Singapore Open. It was Raducanu's first appearance since her coach, Nick Cavaday, split with her after the Australian Open for health and family reasons.
Cristina Bucsa defeated Raducanu in a grueling three-hour match at the Singapore Open, which was decided by fine margins. The 22-year-old's fitness coach, Yutaka Nakamura, and her mother were in Singapore as supporters to fill Cavaday's void.
Despite losing to Bucsa, Raducanu found positives and insisted her level was better than at the Australian Open. Being defeated in the opening round in Singapore has also provided an opportunity to participate in another tournament.
The Abu Dhabi Open gave Raducanu a late wild card. However, it is for the qualifying stage, not the main draw, meaning the former US Open champion must win a couple of matches to be among the top-ranked players in Abu Dhabi.
Raducanu was given a wild card into last year's main draw at the Abu Dhabi Open. She started impressively by dominating the gritty Marie Bouzkova with a performance filled with impressive ball-striking.
Three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur proved too strong in the round of 16. Raducanu lost 4-6, 1-6 to the Tunisian, the same score she defeated Bouzkova by in the previous round in Abu Dhabi.
Some might be surprised that Raducanu accepted a qualifying wild card because she has been hesitant to go through qualifying to reach main draws since turning professional a few years ago.
Outside the Grand Slams, Raducanu has never played in the qualifying stage of any tournament on the WTA calendar. Her previous approach of not competing in the qualifiers was particularly controversial last August.
Instead of entering the Canadian Open and/or the Cincinnati Open qualifiers, Raducanu chose not to play any events in the weeks before the US Open. She lost in the opening round at Flushing Meadows to former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin.
Afterward, Raducanu admitted that she had made a mistake and planned to correct it by entering the Asian swing qualifiers for the WTA 1000 tournaments. However, an injury sustained at the Korea Open prevented her from doing so.
The 2021 US Open winner has retained that changed mindset by accepting the qualifying wild card for the Abu Dhabi Open. She seems determined to play as many matches as possible to build fitness and momentum.
Fitness coach Nakamura's presence could also have influenced that move. Raducanu hired Nakamura, who had previously worked with Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova, during the off-season. Under his guidance, Raducanu wants to become one of the best athletes in the world.
Raducanu has worked hard to build her endurance with Nakamura and seems happy with their work. The next off-court step is appointing a new full-time coach to replace Cavaday, who had been with her for slightly over a year.
