Emma Raducanu makes ‘mix and match’ scheduling admission as she explains why she skipped WTA 1000 event
Emma Raducanu has lifted the lid on her decision not to enter several high-profile WTA tournaments as she admitted she is “not in any big rush to play loads”.
The 21-year-old’s scheduling in recent weeks has caused a stir as she has played only one hard-court tournament ahead of the US Open with her last match at the beginning of August.
Having opted to skip the Paris Olympics in order to focus on the North American swing, Raducanu reached the quarter-final of the Citi DC Open, but that was the last time she was seen on the WTA Tour.
Her ranking wasn’t high enough for a direct entry into the main draw of the Canadian Open and she was overlooked for a wildcard while she also didn’t enter the qualifying draw – although she might have required a wildcard there as well.
It was a similar story at the Cincinnati Open with no wildcard, but this time her ranking would have been good enough to enter qualifying.
Despite having only three matches under her belt since Wimbledon, Raducanu insists she is happy to do “things a little bit differently”.
“I didn’t play in Toronto because it was such a tight turnaround but I would have loved to. I have a Canadian passport but I would have had to fly Saturday, play Sunday, and I think it would have been too tight of a turnover,” the 2021 US Open winner said ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year.
“I have always done things a little bit differently. I mix and match. I don’t think I will ever be the player who’s close to 30 events a year. I think that’s not my style – it never has been.
“Even when I was playing Juniors I would pretty much play a few tournaments, all the Slams, and go to school, and I’ve always kind of done it that way.
“When I won the US Open I only played a few tournaments that year. I’m not in any big rush to play loads. I’d rather target tournaments and be ready to play the tournaments I’ve entered in.”
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Raducanu has played 10 tournaments so far in 2024 and her win-loss record is 18–11. She is unlikely to add too many events to her schedule during the final few months of the year, but things could change next year.
The world No 71 added: “I would play more next year, but I don’t think I would play a lot more. I don’t think I would play everything, but I think compared to this year, I’d play a few more tournaments.”
After missing the 2023 US Open following surgery on both her wrists and one ankle, Raducanu will return to the place of her biggest triumph as she won the 2021 title at Flushing Meadows.
The former world No 10 will kick off her campaign against former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin on Tuesday.
“I feel very proud coming here, walking past my photo every day, walking past my name on the trophy every day – that’s such an epic achievement and those two weeks I completed it, so coming back here now, I come back with such a different outlook, joy and proudness, and it inspires me to want to do more,” she said.
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