Emma Raducanu is in no rush to play at the 2024 Paris Olympics, believing she could play "another four" amid doubts about her participation next year.
The 2024 Olympic tennis event is scheduled to start on the weekend of Saturday, July 27, and will run till Sunday, August 4, 2024. The Top 56 players based on the actual rankings of June 12, 2024, will earn direct entry into the 64-player singles draw.
Raducaunu, who has fallen outside the world's Top 200 since undergoing wrist and ankle surgeries this year, is unlikely to feature for Great Britain, despite being the nation's most prominent WTA player.
According to Olympic rules, one country can only be represented by its best four ranked players. Due to her inactivity, Raducanu has lost her spot as British No. 1 to Katie Boulter. Additionally, she has been overtaken by at least five more Britons, including Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, and Heather Watson.
Olympic rules also dictate that a player must be nominated and be present in at least two Billie Jean King Cup teams in one Olympic cycle.
An Olympic cycle, in this case, is the duration between the last Olympic Games and the forthcoming one. Raducanu, who made her debut at the Billie Jean King Cup in the spring of 2022, has also not met this eligibility requirement to play at the 2024 Paris Olympics, following her exclusion from the play-off tie against Sweden next month.
In an interview with the BBC, Raducanu was unperturbed about missing next year's Olympics. But she spoke with immense pride at the possibility of playing at the Olympics and representing Great Britain.
While she has always loved and prioritized the Slams, she wants to immerse herself in the Olympic experience. Still only 20, Raducanu stated that she could play in at least four Olympics.
"Obviously, the Olympics is such a big thing in sport. I think I could play another four if I really wanted to, so this one isn't the immediate rush or pressure, it's just about getting back on court. I love the Slams but I do want to have the Olympic experience. I'll just see how it goes, if I even qualify and how it goes from there."
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