Emma Raducanu will be absent from the French Open draw today after the British star decided to withdraw from the event before qualifying earlier this week.
The 21-year-old's drop down the rankings this year has seen her rely on wildcards to enter into some of the big tournaments.
She was able to skip qualifying at the Australian Open earlier this year due to her protected ranking being enough to get her into the main draw after a number of withdrawals.
But it was a different story heading into Roland Garros with Raducanu needing to go through three rounds of qualifying as her protected ranking was not enough to make it into the main draw.
Emma Raducanu will not play at the French Open
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The British tennis star was expected to battle through the three rounds of qualifying to make it into the French Open, but she announced on the ever of the first round that she would be pulling out.
“It’s important for me to keep laying on the foundations, and I will use the time to do a healthy block before the grass and subsequent hard-court seasons to give myself a chance to keep fit for the rest of the year,” she said.
Raducanu has only been back playing for a few months after her long injury lay-off in 2023.
She underwent surgery on both her wrists little over a year ago that kept her from playing for the remainder of the season.
Raducanu has since been on the comeback trail and her run to the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Open helped propel her further up the rankings.
She still remains outside of the world top 200 heading into the grasscourt season after the French Open.
But her schedule heading into Wimbledon at the start of July is already starting to take shape.
The 2021 US Open champion has been included on the list of WTA stars set to play at the Nottingham Open next month.
Emma Raducanu opted against going through qualifying
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The event begins on June 8 with fellow British stars Harriet Dart and Katie Boulter also in the field.
Raducanu's decision not to play through the qualifiers was met with some surprise and backlash, but Tim Henman has backed the young British star's choice.
“If she wants to move her focus on to the grass already and continue to work on her fitness that’s her prerogative,” he said.
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Emma Raducanu will be back in action in Nottingham next month
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“Sometimes we can read a bit too much into these things.
“She played some great clay court tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup and in Stuttgart but having said that I think grass will suit her game even more.”
He added: “I don’t think it’s a question of over-prioritising. It’s just the fact that it’s their home event and Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament in the world.
"Also, British players, because they have played on grass more than their foreign competitors, they do have a bit of an advantage.”
