Emma Raducanu gives schedule update following Abu Dhabi exit

Shahida Jacobs
Emma Raducanu takes a break
Emma Raducanu of Britain in action

Emma Raducanu looks set to stay in the Middle East for another week after she confirmed that she plans to play in the upcoming WTA 1000 event in Doha.

The 2021 US Open champion made her Abu Dhabi Open debut this week and she notched up her first win in the Middle East when she defeated world No 26 Marie Bouzkova in the opening round before going down against second seed Ons Jabeur on Wednesday.

Although there were concerns about Raducanu’s ankle during her two-set defeat to Jabeur, the injury doesn’t appear to be too serious and she looks set to return to action at next week’s Qatar Open.

Raducanu is 3-3 so far this season, but the British youngster has made it clear that the early part of this campaign is all about getting games under her belt following her injury-ravaged 2023 season.

When asked about her schedule following her loss, Raducanu replied: “Hopefully playing Doha. Then I go back and train and go to the States hopefully as well.”

The former world No 10, though, will need a wildcard to enter the Middle Eastern tournament as well as the Sunshine Double in the United States as she is not on the entry list as her ranking was too low before the official cut-off dates.

READ MORE: Emma Raducanu’s 2024 tennis schedule: Which events could feature on her calendar?

Raducanu currently sits at No 296 in the WTA Rankings although she is set to rise to No 261 following her win in the United Arab Emirates.

If she does end up playing at the Qatar Open, which runs from February 11-17, then she could be in for another tough draw as she will be unseeded and could face the likes of world No 1 Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jabeur all in the draw for the first WTA 1000 tournament of the 2024 season.

It will be a similar story at the Indian Wells Open (March 6-17) and Miami Open (March 19-31) with world No 2 and reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka also set to feature along with the other top players in the world.

Asked about her 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Jabeur, Raducanu felt it would be best to “forget” about the match as quickly as possible.

“It was a tough match. Ons is a difficult opponent so credit to her, she played really well and it’s just a match that personally I need to forget about.

“She’s a great opponent, she has amazing hand skills, makes life really hard for you on the court and especially with the balls which are really heavy. Her defensive skills are great and I think that’s something I can improve on too.”