Emma Raducanu will be keen to bounce back to form this week (Image: Getty)
has endured a torrid time both on and off the court in recent months, tasting defeat in six of her last seven matches. The former US Open winner was beaten in the opening round at Indian Wells by Moyuka Uchijima earlier this month, and she will hope to get back on track in Miami.
Raducanu’s poor form has seen her slip down the WTA Rankings, falling from No. 55 to No. 60. Having reached the third round at Indian Wells last year, the defeat to Uchijima saw the Brit drop key ranking points.
Nevertheless, the Miami Open presents a great opportunity to recoup those points having missed the tournament last year due to injury. She will face Sayaka Ishii in the opening round of the competition on Wednesday.
The majority of Raducanu’s WTA Ranking points were earned during last year’s grass court season, reaching the fourth round at (240 points), semi-finals at the Nottingham Open (98 points), and quarter-finals in Eastbourne (108 points).
Don’t miss…
Emma Raducanu has slipped down the WTA Rankings (Image: Getty)
With the Billie Jean King Cup approaching too, Raducanu has the opportunity to find form before heading into a busy stage of the season. The British No. 2 will be hoping to make amends for her shock first-round defeat at the Madrid Open last year when she was comfortably beaten by Maria Lourdes Carle and earned herself just 10 points.
Raducanu will also have the chance to defend her points at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. The 22-year-old earned 108 points at the event last year after reaching the quarter-finals.
A return to America will then provide Raducanu with the opportunity to build on her Mubadala City DC Open performance in Washington, where she bounced back to form with another quarter-final finish (108 points) before heading to the .
Despite enjoying so much joy at the competition previously, Raducanu’s attempt to regain her crown crumbled in the opening round last year. She was beaten by Sofia Kenin, a result that she will have her heart set on bettering this time around. Raducanu can then decide whether she wants to head to the Asian leg of the WTA 500 season, having emerged with plenty of credit when reaching the quarter-finals of the Korea Open (108 points) last year.