Emma Raducanu’s next tournament revealed as she accepts wildcard for WTA 1000 event

Ewan West 06 Feb 2025 2:12 PM

Emma Raducanu fully focused during her match

Emma Raducanu has been given a wildcard for the upcoming Qatar Open — the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season.

Raducanu, the world No 56, will compete as a wildcard for the second straight event on the back of her appearance at the Abu Dhabi Open this week.

The 22-year-old was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Marketa Voundrousova in the opening round of the WTA 500 tournament.

The Brit will enter the Qatar Open on a three-match losing streak having fallen in the first round in Singapore and the third round at the Australian Open in her two events prior to Abu Dhabi.

Raducanu lost to Anhelina Kalinina in the opening round in Doha last year on her debut at the event.

The hard-court tournament will be staged Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha from February 9 to 15.

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The other wildcards are yet to be confirmed, while 14 of the top 16 players in the WTA Rankings are set to feature in the 56-player singles draw.

World No 2 Iga Swiatek is the defending champion. Madison Keys and Danielle Collins are the only players who have withdrawn from the event.

Qatar Open WTA 1000 projected seeds

1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Coco Gauff
4. Jasmine Paolini
5. Elena Rybakina
6. Jessica Pegula
7. Zheng Qinwen
8. Emma Navarro
9. Paula Badosa
10. Daria Kasatkina
11. Diana Shnaider
12. Barbora Krejcikova
13. Mirra Andreeva
14. Beatriz Haddad Maia
15. Karolina Muchova
16. Anna Kalinskaya

Raducanu will be without a permanent coach in Qatar

Raducanu parted ways with coach Nick Cavaday following her exit from the Australian Open.

The pair worked together when Raducanu was a child and they renewed their collaboration last season, with the Brit returning to the top 100 after missing much of 2023 due to injuries that required surgery.

The former world No 10 had suggested she was hoping the partnership with Cavaday would be long-term, but the coach confirmed that it was his decision to step down.

“I am very happy to have been able to work with Emma over the last 14 months,” said Cavaday.

“At this moment in time, it’s important for me to spend some more time at home and prioritise getting back to full health, which is hard to do with the extensive calendar.

“I am glad Emma is back to being established on tour now with a ranking inside the top 60, and I look forward to seeing what she does from here.”

In Abu Dhabi, Raducanu was helped by Croatian coach Roman Kelecic, who she worked with in her junior days.

“He travelled with me when I was like 14,15, in the junior ITFs; we went to all the glamorous places together when we were younger in the juniors,” the 2021 US Open champion told The National.

“And we haven’t honestly seen each other in so many years. But he’s based out of Dubai, and I think in this situation, I mean, I wanted to see him anyway, to catch up. So I texted him to catch up, and now he’s on court with me, so he’s going to help me out this week.”

On finding a replacement for Cavaday, Raducanu added: “I think that’s why I haven’t necessarily jumped into something straight away, because I want to make sure it’s a right fit.

“And I think this period where I don’t necessarily have someone is going to tell me a lot. It’s going to teach me a lot, what I want, what I don’t want to look for in the next person.

“So I think I’m using this time period to just figure out what I really value. I’m not too sure yet right now. I haven’t come to any plans or decisions. So yeah, I’m just taking it, using the next couple weeks to see how I feel, and then make a decision.”