Emma Raducanu will make her competitive return to tennis at the United Cup team competition in Australia in the first week of January 2027, delaying her comeback after a six-month injury lay-off caused by a stress fracture of her shin, BBC Sport reported.
The 2021 US Open champion has been sidelined since June, when she reached her first grass-court final at Queen’s Club before pulling out of Wimbledon on the eve of her opening match. By delaying her comeback until January, the 23-year-old will secure entry using a special ranking of 38, ensuring her main-draw presence at the Australian Open and upcoming WTA 1000 events.
- Ranking Protection: A special ranking of 38 allows entry into eight main draws, bypassing lower-tier qualifying hurdles.
- Early-Season Value: Securing direct entry into Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami provides assured main-draw placement for Raducanu.
- Workload Management: Historically averaging 31 matches per season since her New York triumph, careful physical load monitoring remains critical for her return.
Raducanu contemplated playing a couple of events in Asia during the autumn, but instead opted for a gradual return to training in early September alongside head coach Andrew Richardson and LTA national coach Alex Ward. Observers note that practice sessions in London have steadily increased in intensity in the lead-up to the new season.
“I think I wanted to just go straight in. I trusted that I would be able to get my level back, I just didn’t know how quickly,” Sonay Kartal told BBC Sport.
“But I still think there is a long way to go. I can produce the level, but can I sustain it? Rehab is draining, and the body is not used to a lot of matches on the tour, so I do feel the aches and the pains from that.”
While Raducanu has averaged just 31 matches a season over the past five years—falling well short of elite benchmarks like Elena Rybakina’s 68 matches across 20 tournaments this year—her ranking of 38 guarantees her status as the British number one for the United Cup.
| Player | Special Ranking | Target Event | Key Prior Surface/Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Raducanu | 38 | United Cup | Queen’s Club Final (Grass, June) |
| Sonay Kartal | – | Wuhan Open | Finalist (Hard, September return) |
The entry deadline for the United Cup passed on Monday, aligning with the approval of Raducanu’s special ranking application. She will join Arthur Fery, Francesca Jones, Jan Choinski, Neal Skupski, and Olivia Nicholls in representing Great Britain against Australia and France in Sydney from 1 to 10 January, where potential group matches include encounters against top-40 players Talia Gibson and Diane Parry.
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