Emma Raducanu won’t play in the Abu Dhabi Open qualifying but not because she withdrew, but because the tournament upgraded her wildcard to a main draw one.
On Thursday, it was announced that the former world No. 10 received a qualifying wildcard for the WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi.
The news quickly made the headlines because it was supposed to be the 22-year-old’s first qualifying appearance since her stunning 2021 US Open victory.
But when the qualifying draw was released on Friday, Raducanu’s name wasn’t on it.
That led to some wondering if she again decided to ditch qualifying.
However, that’s not the case as she made the main draw directly and will learn her first-round opponent today.
Emma Raducanu© Australian Open/Instagram – Fair Use
In her Abu Dhabi debut, the British tennis star lost to Ons Jabeur in the round-of-16.
Raducanu will be hoping to bounce back in Abu Dhabi
After losing to Cristina Bucsa in the Singapore first round this week, the world No. 56 noted that she was ready to play instantly and insisted that she wasn’t discouraged by her early exit in Singapire.
“To be honest, I don’t know what’s next for me. I feel like a lot of things kind of changed in the last week,” Raducanu said.
“So I think I just need to regroup and get some advice what [events] I should play next, but I’m ready to go pretty much straight away. I’m ready to keep building.
“I just have to take that positive [from the match] and, when I look at it practically, realistically and unemotionally, I think ‘okay, my level is improving’.
“I’m not actually sure what I’m going to do from here. It kind of depends what I play. I love Singapore though, as a place. It’s a shame I can’t stay here longer. It is what it is.”
The Abu Dhabi Open will be Raducanu’s third tournament of the year.
Tennis World USA