It seemed all but given that Emma Raducanu would have to play the Australian Open qualifiers to play in Melbourne, but she might not, as she's only one withdrawal away from getting in.
Raducanu missed much of 2023 due to several injuries that were surgically repaired. She had a triple surgery, which obviously took a long time to rehab. A few setbacks pushed her return back, so she only returned recently in Auckland.
That inactivity affected her ranking, which plummeted quite a bit, leaving her unable to enter the event without having to play the qualifiers. That was weeks ago, but today, the situation is quite different.
Due to multiple withdrawals, Raducanu found herself closer to the main draw with each today. As of Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024, Raducanu is only one withdrawal away from getting into the main draw.
Petra Kvitova's withdrawal announcement got her in that position, and now it's all but certain that she'll get it without having to play the qualifiers.
It's a huge lucky break for the Brit, who did look pretty good in her first match back, but qualifiers can be somewhat unpredictable. You lose, and you're pretty much out of one of the four biggest events of the year, and that would be unfortunate.
She needs those points and, more importantly, that experience. Despite having been around for a while now, Raducanu hasn't gathered that much experience on the WTA Tour so she needs every match she can get.
She's in Auckland this week, and then we'll see how the Australian Open turns out and whether this new and fresh start to her career looks promising or not. Fairly or not, expectations are high, and media attention will soar the more she plays. She's just been one of the most polarizing players in recent memory.
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