It is clear that Emma Raducanu should not play another match this year.
Raducanu has not competed since the grass court season, where she suffered a stress fracture in her lower right leg. This injury forced Raducanu to withdraw from both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Since then, Raducanu has been rehabilitating her injury in an attempt to make a comeback, and has recently shared footage of her back on court.
However, it appears that the former US Open champion is not yet ready to return to competition, with Raducanu withdrawing from the China Open, and she now has a no-brainer of a decision to make for her own best interests.
Emma Raducanu should return to competition next year after dropping outside the top 100
Raducanu’s absence from the WTA Tour has heavily impacted her ranking, and after missing the China Open she is now set to drop outside of the top 100 for the first time since July 2024.
This means that Raducanu would be unlikely to have direct entry for next year’s Australian Open with her current ranking, but there is a solution to this which would enable her to do so.
On both the WTA and ATP Tours, players are entitled to a protected ranking after six months away from competition. This would be the case for Raducanu if she does not play again until next year, having not competed since the Queen’s Club Championships in June.
After reaching the final of Queen’s, Raducanu was ranked as the world number 31, which is the protected ranking she would be entitled to after six months on the sidelines. That is why it is essential that Raducanu does not compete again until she is entitled to this protected ranking, as it will provide her with many more opportunities in the coming season.
Raducanu would also benefit from this, as she would not need to rush her comeback and will be more likely to return fresh for the new season in 2027.
At which Grand Slam is Emma Raducanu most likely to win a second major title? Let us know why below 👇
Why Emma Raducanu should take some positives from her disrupted 2026 season
It has been an extremely disrupted season for Raducanu, having already dealt with a foot issue and a viral illness prior to suffering the most recent stress fracture in her lower leg. Partly as a result of this, Raducanu has only won one Grand Slam match in 2026, but it has not been all bad.
There have still been some sparks of promise this year for Raducanu, who has reached two finals this year at the Transylvania Open and the Queen’s Club Championships.
Prior to this, Raducanu had not reached a single final since winning the US Open in 2021 and has now reached two in a year where she only played 10 tournaments.
| Tournaments Emma Raducanu has played in 2026 | Result |
| United Cup | 0-1 (Lost her only match against Maria Sakkari) |
| Hobart International | Quarter-final |
| Australian Open | Second Round |
| Transylvania Open | Final |
| Qatar Open | First Round |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | First Round |
| Indian Wells | Third Round |
| Strasbourg Open | First Round |
| Roland Garros | First Round |
| Queen’s Club Championships | Final |
These final runs in Cluj-Napoca and Queen’s have prevented Raducanu from dropping as far down the rankings as she could have given the minimal amount of tournaments she has been able to play this year.
The big hope for Raducanu now is that she can have much less of an injury-plagued season in 2027 and start building her ranking back up to where it belongs.
