Emma Raducanu has pulled out of next week’s WTA 500 event in Strasbourg after being announced in the player line-up last month. The Internationaux de Strasbourg takes place in the same week as the French Open qualifying event and Raducanu just missed the main draw cut-off for the French with her protected ranking. Her decision not to play the WTA 500 hints that she could compete in the Grand Slam qualifying draw.
Raducanu’s participation in the Internationaux de Strasbourg was announced last month but the tournament has now confirmed that she has withdrawn. The world No. 212’s commitment to play in Strasbourg initially raised eyebrows as the tournament takes place over the same week as French Open qualifying, in which she is slated to compete.
The Brit entered the clay-court Grand Slam with her protected ranking of No. 103 and was fifth on the list of alternates, meaning she could make it in by qualifying, receiving a wildcard, or if five players withdrew. It appeared that she was counting on the latter two by choosing to skip qualies for another WTA tournament.
But with the qualifying tournament now days away and Raducanu still without a spot in the main draw, her decision to pull out of Strasbourg may have been made so that she can play for a place in the French Open.
Raducanu has only played Grand Slam qualifying once in her young career and went on to make history. Aged just 18, she became the first qualifier ever to lift a Major title when she won 10 matches in a row without dropping a set at the 2021 US Open.
Since then, her ranking has been high enough to earn her a spot in the main draw. For this year’s Australian Open, she also entered using her protected ranking and was outside of the cut-off but got in when several players pulled out and did not need to play qualifying. This time, it appears to be her only option to make it to the French Open.
Raducanu has not played a match since suffering a disappointing first-round exit at the Madrid Open, where she lost 6-2 6-2 to qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle. Prior to that, she had a strong start to the clay season and won four matches in a row for the first time since her US Open run.
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