Emma Raducanu would play in the Australian Open qualifying round

Emma Raducanu has missed out on the first batch of wildcard entries for the Australian Open 2024. The former US Open champion has a protected ranking of 103. Raducanu may struggle to get into the main draw of the Australian Open, as some other stars have also planned to make a comeback in January. She recently confirmed her comeback for the start of the 2024 season, taking a wildcard into the ASB Classic, and signing up for the Australian Open. However, her hopes of playing her first Grand Slam tournament in a year are currently hanging by a thread, as the Brit failed to make the cutoff for the main draw. With seven players in the main field, using protected rankings, including new mum Naomi Osaka, the 21-year-old can only get in by receiving a wildcard, or coming through qualifying. Raducanu has not played a match in almost eight months and was forced to end her season, after undergoing three different surgeries in this year. There had initially been some concern about her comeback, as she could not return in the autumn, and recently withdrew from the Macau Tennis Masters exhibition match at the start of December. But the former world number 10 is finally ready to come back at the beginning of 2024, showing her intentions by receiving a wildcard into the ASB Classic in Auckland, and putting her name on the Australian Open entry list, using her protected ranking of number 103 in the world. After spending more than half a year on the sidelines due to injury, Raducanu is entitled to use the special ranking, instead of her current standing of number 296.