Emma Raducanu cops massive setback in bid to play at Australian Open

Emma Raducanu has put her name forward for the Australian Open in January but is far from certain to gain a spot in the tournament. The former US Open champ has not competed since April after missing most of the year to undergo surgery on her wrists and left ankle.

Due to her time off the court, Raducanu is entitled to a protected ranking of 103 for tournament entry purposes, which is well above her current ranking of 296. But it still isn’t enough to guarantee her a place at Melbourne Park as she currently sits eight places outside the cut-off and missed out on the first round of wildcards.

The English tennis star failed to pick up one of the seven wildcards given out on Wednesday, with Caroline Wozniacki and six Aussies earning their spot in the tournament. Wozniacki came out of retirement last summer following a three-and-a-half-year hiatus, during which she had two children.

The other wildcard recipients for the year’s first Grand Slam event were Australians Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki, Taylah Preston, James Duckworth, Marc Polmans and Adam Walton.

To get a guaranteed spot at the Australian Open, Raducanu must now rely on players dropping out. The other possibility is for the 21-year-old to be granted a wildcard spot at a later date or to go through qualifying to earn a place in the main draw at Melbourne Park.