Emma Raducanu on the brink of qualifying for Australian Open – but she could still miss out

Emma Raducanu missed out on an automatic place in the Australian Open draw as her ranking did not allow her to make the cut, but she is now on the brink of claiming one of the last places up for grabs at the first Grand Slam of 2024.

After eight months away from tennis that saw the 2021 US Open champion undergo surgery on both wrists and her ankle, Raducanu celebrated her long-awaited return from injury with a gutsy three-set win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland on Tuesday.

The former British number one, who was playing her first match since April following operations on both her wrists and one ankle, held off a fightback from the Romanian qualifier to progress 6-3 4-6 7-5.

It was an encouraging return for Raudcanu, but not even a win in the Aukland tournament will have an impact on her hopes of getting into the draw for the Australian Open.

Raducanu has a protected ranking of 103 due to her lengthy absence from the tour, but that would not be enough to allow her direct entry into the Australian Open draw.

The 21-year-old’s status as a former Grand Slam champion and one of the most high-profile female players in the sport counts in her favour but most wild cards usually go to home players.

If Raducanu is not given a wild card, and there are not sufficient withdrawals among higher-ranked players to secure her place, she will have to go through qualifying – the avenue by which she sensationally triumphed at the US Open in 2021.

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Playing in qualifying may be an attractive option for Raducanu as she looks to play matches against players at a slightly lower level of the game, but she may now be thrown into the Australian Open draw after all.

Several players have withdrawn from the Melbourne major due to injury and it means the Brit is now just one spot below automatic entry to the singles draw.

Former Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki was handed one of the wildcards for the Australian Open and due to a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation and the United States Tennis Federation, players from France the USA will get two of the four wildcards that are still available.

A player from the Asia-Pacific region is expected to get a wildcard from Tennis Australia and that would leave one additional wildcard up for grabs, which could possibly go to Raducanu.

Tournament organisers would probably welcome another withdrawal that would avoid them being forced to decide on Raducanu’s participation, while others have suggested playing three games in qualifying and getting into the main draw with games under her belt may be the best option.

Her preparations for the upcoming Australian Open will continue with a tough last-16 tie against second seed Elina Svitolina.

“It’s difficult after having such a long hiatus but I’m grateful to be healthy, I’m grateful to be able to move my body and not bedridden or in a wheelchair,” said Raducanu.

“It’s pretty amazing to just be out here and playing and I’m just really happy to be back on the tour and can’t wait to start this season and carry on hopefully injury-free and healthy.”