Emma Raducanu gets a double rankings boost ahead of Wimbledon

Kevin Palmer 20 Jun 2025 6:24 PM

Emma Raducanu in upbeat mood

Emma Raucanu will head into Wimbledon at the British No 1 and that is not the only rankings boost she has received ahead of her home Grand Slam.

Raducanu replaced Katie Boulter as the top ranked player in her nation with a run to the quarter-finals of the new WTA 500 tournament at the Queen’s Club last week.

Boulter had a chance to reclaim the British No 1 spot if she defended her Nottingham Open title, but her 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 defeat against McCartney Kessler ended those hopes.

Raducanu will now carry the weight of British expectations at Wimbledon and before that, she is hopeful of being back on court at next week’s Eastbourne Open.

The 22-year-old confirmed her entry into the Eastbourne draw earlier this month and she will be keen to get more grass court wins under her belt ahead of Wimbledon after being forced to pull out of the WTA 500 tournament in Berlin this week due to an ongoing back issue.

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A decision on whether Raducanu will play in Eastbourne is imminent and she will be boosted by the news that she has broke into the top 20 of an alternative tennis rankings system once again.

The 2021 US Open champion rose to No 10 in the WTA Rankings after that iconic Grand Slam win in New York, but her ranking has been on the slide since then as injuries have affected her form and ambitions.

Now the UTR Rankings have calculated that Raducanu is back among the top 20 players in the women’s game, as she has been bumped up to No 19 in their updated rankings after her two wins at the Queen’s Club.

The UTR Rankings are based on the current form from the last few weeks and months rather than reflecting results that occurred up to a year ago, with the system created to promote fair and competitive play across the tennis world.

All players, regardless of age, gender, geography, or skill level, are rated on the same scale between 1.00 and 16.50 based on actual match results.

The UTR Ranking is open to players of all levels of the game and the algorithm used provides an intriguing insight at the top of the game.

Victories against higher-ranked players are worth more in the UTR list than the official ATP or WTA Ranking, meaning they offer a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the game.

Raducanu’s form in 2025 has been solid and while she is currently ranked at No 36 in the official WTA Rankings, her elevated position in the UTR list may be reflective of her current position in the game.

The concern for Raducanu has been that she has struggled to raise her levels when she has take on some of the game’s top players, with comprehensive defeats against Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek confirming she has some way to go to challenge the very best on the women’s tour.

“I think maybe my goals have slightly shifted from being seeded to actually improving my game,” Raducanu said after her defeat against world No 5 Zheng Qinwen at Queen’s Club.

“When I play those top players, I need to make it closer and feeling more competitive rather than just feeling, okay, I get to the third round of a Slam but then lose comfortably to one of the top players.

“I think I’d rather have a more competitive match, even if that means losing first round, second round, and I think that, to be honest, is how I feel right now.”

It was hard to overlook Raducanu’s sentiments as she made a public confession that she is doubting whether she can compete with the game’s top-ranked players.

“I think being seeded obviously helps in Masters, helps in Slams and a lot of tournaments so you’re not playing one of the top players early rounds.”