Emma Raducanu may be a Grand Slam champion and in her third season on the tour, but she’s still notching up career firsts.
That’s because the British number two has received a wildcard to the Abu Dhabi Open qualifying.
This will mark the first time she has ever competed in qualifying at tour level.
The US Open does not count as a tour-level event, where Raducanu famously came through qualifying in 2021 to win the whole thing.
By winning that Grand Slam title, she fast-tracked her progress meaning she did not need to qualify for the top events.
The 2000 ranking points automatically put her among the top ranked players in the world and gained her entry to prestigious events.
The 22-year-old’s status as one of the brightest young prospects also meant she received plenty of wildcards into future tournaments once her ranking dropped.
Raducanu reached the third round of the Australian Open, but then suffered a surprise first round exit in Singapore this week.
Speaking to ESPN, she said: “I have the positives (from) this week, coming here on my own with Yutaka and my mom, but I’m really proud of how I dealt and handled myself this week,” referring to her fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura.
“I feel OK. I feel like I have certain things we all manage as the year goes on.
“I think it’s pretty early in the season.
“For me to be playing this kind of match, all I need is time on court and a match-competitive situation, which I got today.
“I got it in abundance — over three hours of it — so, for me, it’s really valuable because every match I play, I feel like it’s a win.
“And I fought really hard. I gave everything. So I just got to keep building and moving on.”
The early exit in Singapore meant the world number 56 was given a late wildcard for qualifying at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi.
Raducanu addressed the fact she had not entered many tournaments through qualifiers in an interview last year.
“I think playing qualies is not something that I am against,” Raducanu told BBC Sport last August.
“If you get through those two rounds you feel you’re adjusted to the court. If you’re playing a seed, you have a better eye for the ball, a better feel – it’s not that I am against it at all.”
She will travel to the tournament with fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura and is still without a coach following her split with Nick Cavaday, who stepped down for health reasons.
In the main draw at Abu Dhabi are British number one Katie Boulter, former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and Australian Open semi-finalist Paula Badosa.
