Emma Raducanu appears to have finalised her schedule for the rest of the year as she prepares for her first match since her stunning US Open win.
It promises to be a busy autumn for Raducanu starting in Indian Wells and she will discover her first-round opponent when the draw is made on Monday night.
The tournament is held over two weeks, with main draw matches beginning on Wednesday. Now ranked 22, Raducanu will be among the 32 seeds and therefore receive a bye in the first round. Her first match will be on either Friday or Saturday.
The joint tournament on the WTA and ATP Tour is one of the biggest and most prestigious stops on the calendar outside the grand slams. Usually held in March, it was cancelled in 2019 and then postponed earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Raducanu is currently without a full-time coach. Her short-term deal with Andrew Richardson ended after the US Open and, despite the incredible success she enjoyed in New York, the teenager opted to look elsewhere, targeting someone with WTA experience.
She does not expect to make an appointment until the end of the season and has been seen working in Indian Wells with former British number one Jeremy Bates, who coaches Katie Boulter and is also the Lawn Tennis Association’s national women’s coach.
A strong showing in Indian Wells would make Raducanu a serious contender to qualify for the WTA Finals. Reaching the Finals could mean Raducanu features in six events before the end of the year, culminating in the Champions Tennis on home soil at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Following Raducanu’s success, the UK Government announced a £30 million pledge to revive thousands of public tennis courts across the country.
They publicly pledged a £21.9m commitment to seize on this moment, with the Lawn Tennis Association making its own £8.4m contribution, in plans to refurbish more than 4,500 courts at more than 1,500 venues.
Emma Raducanu’s schedule for rest of 2021
7-17 Oct – Indian Wells
The year’s biggest remaining tournament before next month’s WTA Finals. Raducanu was last week handed a wildcard to avoid qualifying in her first outing since Flushing Meadows – the cut-off for her to do so based on her ranking came before her fairy-tale of New York triumph.
18-24 Oct – Kremlin Cup
The first event Raducanu entered following her maiden grand slam win but she may end up dropping out if she repeats her Flushing Meadows heroics in Indian Wells given the tournament in Moscow begins just a day later.
25-31 Oct – Transylvania Open
A tournament in her father’s native Romania would be a special one for Raducanu, who could expect a hero’s welcome. Playing here could also witness an emotional reunion with her grandmother, who last month revealed she had not been to visit for two years due to the coronavirus crisis.
6-12 Nov – Linz
It was confirmed yesterday that Raducanu had entered what could be her final tournament of the year. However, she could yet withdraw if she reaches the WTA Finals given the two events overlap.
10-17 Nov – WTA Finals
Raducanu will need to finish in the top eight of the ‘Porsche Race Singles’ to qualify – she is currently 15th. The Finals were last month moved from Shenzhen, China, to Guadalajara, Mexico, denying her a potential reunion with her other grandmother.
25-28 Nov – Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall
The first chance to see Raducanu play on home soil since the US Open. She agreed to take part in the annual legends’ event before embarking upon her historic run in what turned out to be an inspired piece of business by organisers.