At long last, Emma Raducanu has found some much-needed form and her prospects are looking good ahead of her fifth Wimbledon tournament.
The British No. 1 produced some of her best tennis for a very long time to reach the Queen’s final and she has received a ranking boost because of it.
The star is up to World No. 31 in the WTA Tour rankings, which puts her in contention for seeded entry at Wimbledon, just 10 days before they are locked in.
However, the British star has decided not to capitalise on her form.
Raducanu withdrew from the Nottingham Open despite the fact she was given a last-minute wildcard into the WTA 250 event.
Greg Rusedski, speaking on his podcast, believes it would have benefitted Raducanu to continue playing on the grass ahead of Wimbledon.
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Speaking on Off Court with Greg, the British icon said: “I think if I was coaching her, I’d put her to play next week and then to take the week off before Wimbledon.
“So she has a few days of rest, then gets the preparation ready because she’s already had enough grass matches and you want to keep that momentum going and have that extra week before the championship starts.
“That’s why I would play next week as well to bump up the seating and keep the confidence and keep the flow going.”
The week before Wimbledon sees the Eastbourne Open take place, which Raducanu has played in the last two years, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her make her return on the South Coast.
She was beaten in the second round of the 2025 event by eventual winner Maya Joint, but she fare much better during the 2024 tournament.
She received a wildcard into the event two years ago and she more than backed that up by reaching the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament.
That included a victory back-to-back victories against Sloane Stephens and Jessica Pegula, before her time in the competition came to an end against Daria Kasatkina.
Raducanu missing the Nottingham Open suggests she could return to the South Coast again for her third consecutive appearance in Eastbourne, although she has proved over the years that she is more than happy to be selective about what she does and doesn’t play.
If not, the British No. 1 will next be seen at Wimbledon, where she will be looking to build upon two fourth round appearances at her home Grand Slam.
Those came in 2021, just months before her incredible US Open triumph, and in 2024 when she was beaten by qualifier Lulu Sun in three sets.
