Emma Raducanu takes No 1 ranking in alternative tennis list as she closes in on Katie Boulter

Kevin Palmer 22 Apr 2025 1:08 PM

Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter

Emma Raducanu has a chance to take over as British No 1 once again over the next few weeks, as she closes in on Katie Boulter in the WTA Rankings and she has already taken that position in the alternative tennis rankings.

Raducanu is 252 points behind Boulter in the live WTA Rankings and that gap could be bridged if the 2021 US Open champion has a good run at the WTA 1000 events in Madrid or Rome over the next few weeks.

With Boulter struggling all season due to a foot problem, her ranking has slipped and she is no longer among the seeds for the WTA 1000 tournaments, meaning she is facing a battle to match the ranking points she collected in 2024, when she was among the top seeds in these marquee events.

The British duo are not at home on clay courts, but Raducanu has enjoyed some good wins on the surface and may not need too many to overtake Boulter and reclaim her national No 1 rankings.

In an interview with the BBC, Boulter insisted she was not concerned by the prospect of being ousted as British No 1, after holding the position since the summer of 2023.

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“I don’t feel any pressure at all,” Boulter told BBC Sport.

“I’m very comfortable in the seat that I am and I know that every single person has a different journey and my journey is not going to be compared to anyone else’s – I’m proud of that.

“I’ve been the British number one for two years, it’s been a fair while now. It’s something which I’m quite used to.”

Raducanu has already overtaken Boulter in the UTR Rankings, which assess the current form of players rather than using the WTA Rankings caculation of a 52-week rolling points total.

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 serves up an intriguing insight at the top of the game.

Raducanu’s impressive run to the Miami Open quarter-finals last month would have had an instant impact on her UTR Ranking and that is reflected in her position at No 25 in that list.

Boulter is down at No 38 in that UTR list, with a wildcard in the race to take the British No 1 ranking also emerging in recent weeks.

Sonay Kartal is at No 52 in the UTR Rankings and she is less than 100 ranking points behind Raducanu in the WTA live list, with plenty of chances for the 23-year-old to build on that position as she is playing in higher-level tournaments now than she was a year ago.

Raducanu is set to start her Madrid Open campaign on Wednesday and she is relishing the chance to test her game on clay after putting in a training block in America after her Miami Open run.

“I’ve realised now that less is more for me sometimes. I work really intensely and really hard and can definitely be partial to overkilling it sometimes,” she told Sky Sports Tennis.

“It’s just making sure when I’m on the court I’m maxing out for X amount of time so I can focus, and then once I’m done, I’m switching off better.

“You hear a lot that people need matches, and I say the same thing. Matches definitely help, but there’s a time and a place.

“There are other times where you just need to reset and get your bearings, because the season is very long.

“I’m trying to take it day-by-day, but I knew at that point in the season [post-Miami Open] I needed some time off.”