Emma Raducanu rose to fame in 2021 with her title triumph at the US Open. With that incredible feat, she became the first British woman to win a singles major tournament since Virginia Wade in 1977 (Wimbledon Championships). A year after clinching her first major title, Raducanu reached her career-high singles ranking of world number 10 and also became the British number one. But after that, her promising tennis career was plagued with frequent injuries and a lack of form. She dropped down to 303 in the singles ranking in April last year but made a comeback in the Top 60 a few months later. Reacting to that incredible rise, she said, “Sometimes I need reminding: I’m top 60 and I’ve played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of. I have to pat myself on the back for that.” Currently, she is ranked 49th in the world, and guess what? She now has a good chance of overtaking Katie Boulter to yet again secure her crown as the British no.1. Is Boulter a bit concerned with this, though?

Currently, Emma Raducanu is 252 points behind Boulter in the live WTA Rankings, and that gap could well get minimized further if Boulter makes a good run at the WTA 1000 events in Madrid or Rome over the next few weeks.

Raducanu played only six matches on clay in 2024, and after her defeat to Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round of the Madrid Open, she didn’t take part in any clay court event last year. Hence, she has just 10 points to defend over the next few weeks, and there are 4,000 ranking points on offer in the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.

If Raducanu even wins a couple of matches at each of these tournaments, she’d be closing on on a return to the Top 40 of the WTA Rankings and could also possibly overtake Katie Boulter (40) to reclaim the title of British number one. Not only that, if she can reach the QF in either Madrid or Rome, she could also get inside the Top 32 of the WTA Rankings and a potential seeding at the Roland Garros. Even Sonay Kartal (60) is also breathing down Boulter’s neck at the moment!

Now is Boulter feeling the pressure?

Well, Katie Boulter has been Britain’s leading women’s player since June 2023. Her career-high ranking has been 23 (November 2024). Boulter hasn’t had the best of her seasons so far. She has a win-loss record of just 5-5. Summing up all these along with the chances of losing the top spot, Boulter claims, “I don’t feel any pressure at all. I’m very comfortable in the seat that I am and I know that every single person has a different journey and my journey is not going to be compared to anyone else’s – I’m proud of that. I’ve been the British number one for two years, it’s been a fair while now. It’s something which I’m quite used to.”

Interesting Fact: Emma Raducanu has already overtaken Katie Boulter in the UTR Rankings (assesses the current form of players rather than using the WTA Rankings calculation of a 52-week rolling points total). Following her impressive QF run in Miami, Raducanu is placed at the 25th spot in the UTR Rankings while Boulter is down to number 38.

Speaking more about the threats of losing the top spot, Boulter said, “I want to see the girls going higher and higher [in the rankings], but personally I have my own goals and try to focus on those a lot. For me, I just need to try and stay healthy. That’s that most important thing and then the ranking will take care of itself. Obviously, I’ve dropped a little bit from last year but due to the fact I’ve not been able to play. It’s not like my level has gone anywhere.“

Boulter’s experience on clay is very limited, having played just four tour-level main draw matches on this surface. She’ll now be keen to make a strong impact in Madrid. Boulter will start her campaign against Katerina Siniakova, and she might face the 2024 French Open champion, Jasmine Paolini, in the second round. She’s in the same quarter of the draw as Kartal.

On the other hand, Emma Raducanu has been handed a pretty tough draw. She will start her campaign against the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens, and she could face Marta Kostyuk in the second round and a possible clash with Paula Badosa in the third round. Raducanu has been put in the same half of the draw as the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka. What are her chances of excelling on clay courts, though?

Former British number one looks pretty optimistic about Emma Raducanu’s chances on clay

Emma Raducanu had previously admitted that clay isn’t the surface where she feels the most comfortable. Last year, she didn’t play much on this surface, so this year she will be keen to put on a good show as she gets herself ready to kickstart her campaign in the Spanish capital. Raducanu took a little break after the Miami Open and was spotted training with Mark Petchey in Los Angeles before taking her flight to Madrid. Preparations are complete, so now it’s perhaps time for her to deliver.

Well, the British former world number one, Laura Robson, recently came up with a bold prediction. She said, “I’m sure Emma would like to do well on clay and grass this year and play a full schedule. Clay is great for developing all areas of the game.”

She added, “Tactically, it’s a great surface to learn how to turn around matches when you are behind in slower conditions. Clay conditions change so much depending on the weather and where you are playing. Madrid is always so different to Rome and it might be that one set of conditions suits Emma better than the other.“

However, this wasn’t the first time that we saw her heaping praise on her compatriot. Last year, after seeing her massive jump in the rankings, Robson said, “When you think about the months that she’s missed, to climb to the ranking she is now, it’s actually impressive. In that respect, she’s done really well. I think everyone, including her, would like to see it happen more often.”

What are your thoughts on Emma Raducanu’s performance in the past twelve months? Do you think she can do well on clay this season? Share your thoughts in the comment box.