Emma Raducanu has a strong chance of being seeded for Wimbledon in what would be a huge boost to her hopes at SW19. The British star has enjoyed a soaring rise up the rankings in recent months.
Raducanu has made an excellent comeback from two years of hell with injuries and form issues. Her performances at the upcoming Strasbourg International and then the French Open could put her in a good place ahead of Wimbledon, which takes place across June and July. Reaching the fourth round at the Italian Open last week is set to see Raducanu rank as the world No. 42 when the updated WTA leaderboard is released.
The 22-year-old is now only 276 ranking points away from world No. 32 Peyton Stearns. Ranking inside the top 32 would land Raducanu a seeded spot at Wimbledon, protecting her from the more challenging opponents in the early rounds of the tournament.
Strasbourg offers 500 points to the winner, while a positive run at the French Open will also be an excellent opportunity to build points ahead of the grass-court season. She will also have British rival Katie Boulter in her sights, with the 28-year-old now only four places ahead. Boulter won a WTA 125 event in Paris yesterday.
Asked if she felt the pressure of being the British No. 1, Boulter responded: “I don’t feel any pressure at all. I’m very comfortable in my seat, and I know that every single person has a different journey.
“My journey is not going to be compared to anyone else’s. I’m proud of that. I’ve been the British No.1 for two years, it’s been a fair while now. It’s something which I’m quite used to.”
After being beaten by Coco Gauff at the Italian Open, Raducanu was set the target of ranking 32nd in the world by former British No. 1 Tim Henman.
He told Sky Sports: “Her game is moving in the right direction. I think she’s around 42 in the live rankings. A number in the back of my mind is 32 pre-Wimbledon. Can she get to be seeded and have that protection in the early rounds on grass?”
Raducanu was ranked as high as No. 10 in the world in the aftermath of her US Open triumph in 2021. Injuries and inconsistency prompted her to tumble. She is now restoring her best form ahead of a busy summer.
