Emma Raducanu is facing a challenging period in her career, struggling both on and off the court. Over the past few months, she has lost six of her last seven matches, including a disappointing early exit at Indian Wells. In her opening-round match at the tournament, she was defeated by Moyuka Uchijima, further adding to her recent struggles. Now, as she prepares for the Miami Open, Raducanu will be eager to regain her form and climb back up the WTA rankings.
Due to her recent losses, Raducanu has dropped in the rankings, slipping from No. 55 to No. 60. Her defeat at Indian Wells was particularly costly, as she reached the third round of the tournament last year, meaning she lost valuable ranking points. However, the Miami Open offers her a chance to recover some of those points, as she was unable to participate in the event last year due to injury. In the opening round, she is set to face Sayaka Ishii.
The majority of Raducanu’s current ranking points were earned during the previous grass-court season. She had a strong run last year, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon, which earned her 240 points. Additionally, she gained 98 points for reaching the semi-finals at the Nottingham Open and 108 points for making the quarter-finals in Eastbourne.
With the Billie Jean King Cup approaching, Raducanu has an opportunity to regain her confidence ahead of a busy stretch of the season. She will also look to improve on her performance at last year’s Madrid Open, where she suffered a first-round loss to Maria Lourdes Carle and earned just 10 ranking points. Another key tournament on her schedule is the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she made it to the quarter-finals last year, earning 108 points.
Later in the season, Raducanu will have further chances to improve her ranking during the American hard-court swing. She performed well at the Mubadala City DC Open in Washington last year, where she reached the quarter-finals and earned another 108 points. However, her US Open campaign was disappointing, as she was eliminated in the first round by Sofia Kenin. This year, she will be determined to put in a stronger showing at the Grand Slam event where she previously achieved her greatest career success.
Raducanu will also have the option of competing in the Asian leg of the WTA 500 season. Last year, she made a solid run at the Korea Open, reaching the quarter-finals and earning 108 points. Whether she chooses to participate in those events remains to be seen, but she will be looking for opportunities to regain momentum and improve her ranking as the season progresses.