Emma Raducanu takes wildcard into qualifying for Abu Dhabi Open as she signals intent to play more events this year and embrace full-on tour grind
Emma Raducanu takes wildcard into qualifying for Abu Dhabi Open as she signals intent to play more events this year and embrace full-on tour grind
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Emma Raducanu has taken a wildcard into qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Open, as she looks to make good on her resolution to play more events in 2025. The 22-year-old lost in the first round in Singapore on Monday, a three-hour battle against Spaniard Cristina Busca, and will now head straight to the UAE.
![[She has headed straight to the UAE and intends to play more of a full schedule this year]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/08/94671483-0-image-a-28_1738226690127.jpg)
Last season Raducanu played only 13 tournaments - fewer than all but two of the top 100 - and is determined to play more of a full schedule this season. Another feature of Raducanu's 2024 was an apparent reluctance to enter qualifying events - the French Open being the most high-profile and controversial example.
![[Jack Draper has pulled out of the Rotterdam Open as he continues to recover from tendonitis]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/30/08/94671525-0-image-a-29_1738226714218.jpg)
So this decision to go straight from one event to another is an encouraging sign that Raducanu is ready to embrace the full-on grind of the professional tour. Her biggest step in this direction has been the hiring of Maria Sharapova's former fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura. While last season Raducanu would often head back to London for fitness and training blocks now, under Nakamura, she is determined to stay on the treadmill and build fitness within and between events.
'I want to play more than I did this year,' said Raducanu in pre-season. 'Now with my setup, I'm in a place where I can continue work on the road, so I don't necessarily need to come back to continue good physical work.'. Emma Raducanu has taken a wildcard into qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Open next month.
