Emma Raducanu schedule: When is she playing next after Australian Open? What tournaments can she enter?

Emma Raducanu might have only won one match at the 2024 Australian Open, but she left the Grand Slam with a positive outlook for the season ahead.

The 2021 US Open champion was playing at a major for the first time in a year after returning from eight months out following surgery.

Although Raducanu battled illness during a gruelling match, she said she was pleased with how she fared in her first month back on tour.

“I’m very positive, very happy with how my body is,” she said.

“I think the wrist was something I struggled with coming back because I just had a setback for a few months, so I couldn’t play until late November again really. Now I feel good. Ankle feels good. If I keep my work consistent I have a good shot. This is obviously only my first trip back.”

With the Australian Open now over, when will Raducanu be back on court again?

The WTA Tour scatters around the world following the Australian Open, with events in Europe, India and Thailand, before the first WTA 1000 tournaments of the season in Doha (February 11) and Dubai (February 18).

Raducanu’s return to the WTA Tour is likely to come in the Middle East.

Whether she plays in the WTA 1000 events in Doha or Dubai will likely depend if she gets a wild card for either, as her ranking is not high enough to get into the main draw.

She is currently ranked at No. 296 in the world and even her protected ranking (which is given to players who are out of action for an extended period) of No. 103 is not enough to get into the draw at most top tournaments.

Speaking about her plans after exiting the Australian Open, Raducanu said: “I think now going back, training a little bit, tidy some things up before I go compete again is great, obviously, depends on ranking and wildcard situation. Because, I don’t know, that’s not my decision.

“Of course, I’d love to play in the Middle East. But it’s not my call whether they would have me or not. So I’m waiting to hear on that.”

If Raducanu doesn’t play in Doha or Dubai then she might opt to stay in Europe and play in second-tier ITF events.

There are several events in Europe in the second half of February that Raducanu could enter, including one at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

Raducanu has not played at ITF level since winning the US Open in 2021, but is open to the idea.

“I really believe that the level in these ‘lower-level tournaments’ and these tournaments is really not that big. Because you gain so many skills, you’re playing in these conditions, the wind.

“Here was a prime example. My opponent [Wang Yafan] played a lot of ITF and got a lot of matches under her belt, but the level really isn’t that different.

“I would play whatever suits my schedule, whatever suits the plan.”

If Raducanu does opt to play on the ITF tour after Abu Dhabi then her return at WTA level could be in Indian Wells in early March.

The third WTA 1000 of the season is one of the biggest non-Grand Slam tournaments on the calendar and has a larger draw size of 128 singles players.

The Miami Open which follows could also be an option for the Brit.

As Raducanu plots out her 2024 schedule, it remains uncertain if she will represent Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup or the Paris Olympics.

Great Britain play France again on April 12-13, but Raducanu may not feature.

“Of course I always love representing my country but, that being said, because of the amount of niggles and the rehab process, I think whatever suits my schedule and my fitness the best is going to have to take priority, especially this year,” she said in Melbourne.

“For example, if there’s a change in surface straightaway, too close in succession, I think I’d have to evaluate what I do. The most sensible thing for me is staying healthy. That’s the priority for the year. I can’t say either way. But my intention is good, I want to play.”

The tie is on indoor clay, which is the same surface as the following week’s tournament in Stuttgart, where Raducanu is likely to play as it is organised by Porsche, who are one of her sponsors.

If Raducanu doesn’t play the tie then it puts her chances of playing at the Olympics in doubt.

So far Raducanu has only played for GB once in this Olympic cycle, against Czech Republic in April 2022.

Even if Raducanu doesn’t play in the BJK Cup she could still make the team.

The International Tennis Federation rules state that players can still be considered eligible under “special circumstances” which include injury/illness ruling them out of playing for their country.

If Raducanu can’t get a spot that way, there are also two places reserved for Grand Slam singles champions who didn’t qualify through other criteria as long as they are ranked inside the top 400 in the world.