Emma Raducanu handed a chance to reclaim No 1 ranking in crucial month
Emma Raducanu is set to be presented with a chance to reclaim the British No 1 ranking if she can find some winning form at the WTA 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
Raducanu made it through to the third round at the prestigious tournament in California last year, meaning she will need to better that run to add ranking points to her total.
She then has a big chance to make a rankings leap when she plays at the Miami Open, as she missed that event last year due to injury and has a maximum of 1,000 points to go after in Florida.
Lengthy runs in either tournament will give Raducanu a chance to break back into the top 50 of the WTA Rankings for the first time since she returned from injury in January 2024, while she will also have a chance to edge closer to British No 1 Katie Boulter.
Raducanu is currently 359 ranking points behind her compatriot, but the gap between the two has shrunk dramatically after the 500 points Boulter collected for her win in the WTA 500 tournament in Colorado a year ago, which is coming off her ranking.
That will see Boulter drop down to No 38 in the live rankings and she has 130 points to defend at Indian Wells and Miami.
Boulter was knocked out in the first round of Indian Wells by Italy’s Camila Giorgi last year and then enjoyed a run to the last-16 in Miami.
If more points drop off Boulter’s ranking in March, Raducanu would not need to win too many matches to get close to overhauling her.
It would be her second stint as British No 1, as she held the position for a lengthy period following her iconic US Open win in 2021.
Raducanu has made the decision to play in Indian Wells, despite an alarming incident in Dubai last month, when a fan displayed what was described as ‘fixated behaviour’ left her in tears during her match against Karolina Muchova.
Raducanu completed the match, but admitted the incident had left her shaken, with Dubai Police confirming the 22-year-old had opted against pressing for a conviction against her unwanted pursuer.
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“Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress,” read their statement.
“While Raducanu later chose to drop the charges, the individual signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments.”
Raducanu also reflected on the incident in a post on her Instagram account as she said:
“Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match.
“Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
It has been reported that Raducanu will be given extra security at the Indian Wells tournament, with the 22-year-old eager to put her latest difficult experience behind her as she looks to set her focus back on tennis.
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