Google News Emma Raducanu in real danger of exiting top-100, requiring Wimbledon wildcard
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 8820
Emma Raducanu may require a Wimbledon wildcard if she fails to do well in her upcoming clay-court tournaments. Raducanu, who entered this Monday ranked at No 68 in the world, suffered a brutal 6-1 6-2 loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart first round.
Last year, Raducanu made the quarterfinal at a WTA 500 event in Stuttgart. Following her first-round exit at this year's Stuttgart event, Raducanu is set to lose points and drop in the rankings. In live rankings, Raducanu is ranked at No 83 in the world.
Next week, a WTA 1000 event in Madrid is taking place. Last year, Raducanu had a first-round bye in Madrid and won her first two matches at the tournament before losing to Anhelina Kalinina in the round-of-16. This year, Raducanu will have to start her Madrid campaign from the first round and will have to win at least three matches in order not to lose points.
If Raducanu loses early in Madrid, she will exit the top-100 for the first time since entering it in 2021 September.
Will Raducanu require a Wimbledon wildcard?
The main draw cuts are released five weeks before the start of the tournament.
So hypothetically speaking, Raducanu cannot allow herself to exit the top-100 in the next few weeks, or otherwise she won't make the Wimbledon main draw cut. But even if Raducanu fails to make the Wimbledon main draw, she definitely won't be featuring in the qualifying draw as the Wimbledon organizers would 100% give her a main draw wildcard.
In 2021, Raducanu made her Wimbledon main draw after being handed a main draw wildcard. That year, Raducanu's tennis was one of the most positive stories from the tournament as the Briton reached the round-of-16 before being forced to retire against Ajla Tomljanovic.
Last year, Raducanu's return to Wimbledon drew lots of attention. However, that will likely be the case as long as Raducanu is active and playing pro tennis. It remains to be seen how well can Raducanu do at Wimbledon this year.
