Emma Raducanu has added another tournament to her schedule in a career-first move. The British No. 2 is set to start her clay season at the WTA 250 event in Rouen. Raducanu usually plays the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart in the same week of the season.
However, Raducanu has made the intriguing decision to enter a slightly lower-level event instead of the WTA 500 in Stuttgart, where she has previously reached two quarter-finals.
Raducanu only played two WTA Tour events on the clay last season, but she’s already looking to build her schedule this season. The world No. 60 has signed up for the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole, which kicks off on April 14.
The former US Open champion is part of a strong field in Rouen, with world No. 22 Elina Svitolina and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in the draw.
Magda Linette, Maria Sakkari, Anhelina Kalinina, and Frenchwomen Varvara Gracheva and Caroline Garcia are also signed up for the WTA 250 event.
Alize Cornet has also been handed a wildcard into Rouen, making her comeback from retirement after ending her career at the 2024 French Open. The former world No. 11 enjoyed a stint on the French version of The Traitors before announcing her comeback.
It’s a change of scenery for Raducanu, who usually competes in the Porsche-sponsored event in Stuttgart in the second week of April.
The world No. 60 reached the quarter-final there in 2022 and 2024, losing to Iga Swiatek on both occasions. But dropping down to a smaller WTA 250 event could give her the opportunity to go even deeper in the draw.
Ahead of the Rouen tournament, Raducanu is also set to represent Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers from April 10 to 12, when they face Germany and the Netherlands.
Last year, Raducanu led Britain to glory in their BJK Cup tie against France before her run to the quarter-final in Stuttgart.
But she suffered a disappointing first-round exit at the WTA 1000 in Madrid and didn’t play another clay event for the rest of the season, even skipping the French Open.
Adding the Rouen event to her schedule is a positive sign that the 22-year-old is keen to spend more time on the surface this season.
Raducanu has committed to playing more events this year – she has already competed in the Australian Open, Singapore Tennis Open, the Abu Dhabi Open, and the WTA 1000s in Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk