Emma Raducanu has a final opportunity to gain some experience before the US Open, but there is no indication that she is prepared to seize it. Instead of participating in the Olympic Games in Paris, Raducanu focused on earning ranking points at the WTA Tour event in Washington. Her decision paid off as she reached the quarter-finals and climbed further up the rankings. However, her chances of building on this success have been hindered by her failure to receive wildcards for the WTA 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati. As a result, she is severely lacking in match practice leading up to the US Open. This is partly due to Raducanu’s choice to skip the qualifying rounds in Toronto, despite initially being listed as a participant. She is also absent from the Cincinnati tournament after failing to secure a wildcard, even in the qualifying rounds where former Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is competing.
This is not the first time Raducanu has opted out of qualifying, as she also declined to participate in the French Open last May and was unable to secure a wildcard for the main draw. She later explained that her decision to skip the French Open was motivated by her desire to practice on grass courts, a decision that paid off as she made significant progress in subsequent tournaments. However, since then, Raducanu has only played three matches in Washington, declining opportunities to compete in qualifying for the WTA 1000 event in Toronto and skipping the upcoming tournament in Cincinnati. Playing at the Tennis In The Land tournament in Cleveland could be a viable option for Raducanu, as she would likely receive a wildcard if she requested one.
