Emma Raducanu falls in WTA rankings after Miami Open withdrawal
Emma Raducanu has slipped five positions in the WTA rankings, now sitting at 28th in the world following her withdrawal from the Miami Open due to illness, reports BritPanorama.
The British number one’s absence from the prestigious tournament has proved particularly costly, as she reached the quarter-finals of the same WTA 1000 event twelve months ago. This non-participation this year has resulted in the loss of 185 ranking points.
The 23-year-old had been making steady progress up the standings throughout 2026, with several encouraging performances lifting spirits among British tennis supporters. However, this setback marks an unwelcome interruption to what had been a promising campaign for the former US Open champion.
Raducanu’s slide has allowed several competitors to overtake her in the standings, including Marta Kostyuk, Marie Bouzkova, and American Emma Navarro. Interestingly, Navarro’s advancement comes despite her own poor form earlier in March, which had inadvertently aided Raducanu’s climb.
Raducanu achieved a career-best ranking of 10th in July 2022, just a year after her remarkable triumph at Flushing Meadows. Yet, she subsequently fell to 285th towards the end of 2023 amid persistent injury troubles, illustrating the challenges she has faced.
In recent weeks, Raducanu has also made changes to her coaching setup, re-appointing Mark Petchey shortly before the Indian Wells tournament. Previously, she parted ways with Fernando Roig, who had worked with Rafael Nadal.
The British star’s last competitive outing came at Indian Wells at the beginning of March, where she suffered a comprehensive second-round defeat to Amanda Anisimova, losing 6-1, 6-1. This loss preceded her illness-enforced absence from Miami, leaving the former Grand Slam champion without match practice for several weeks.
Her supporters will hope the coaching reunion with Petchey can help restore momentum when she returns to the tour. Like all great talents, Raducanu’s journey reminds us that in sport, setbacks are often lurking just around the corner, and the path to recovery can be just as tumultuous as the rise to glory.
