🔗 Share this article

British Katie Boulter states she believes she has to "choose between my physical condition and my professional position" as the race continues for a place in next January's Australian Open main draw.

While the regular WTA Tour season is over, there are still position points to be gained in Latin American countries, regional locations, various venues and European destinations.

The female entry list for the first Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be calculated from the global standings of 8 December, which could create a dilemma for competitors approaching the selection threshold.

Physical Setbacks

Previous British number one Boulter suffered an hip muscle in her concluding competition of the year in international locations last timeframe, and is now evaluating whether to participate in the WTA 125 development competition in Angers, France, in the opening days of December.

The athlete's ongoing health concern, and the situation she would need to win at least multiple victories in Angers to boost her standing, means she may likely end up not participating.

Contrasting Methods

In contrast, men's competitors are not experiencing the same situation, as for the first time the men's Australian Open entry list will be drawn up from this week's standings, which is the ATP's formal annual-final standing calculation.

The adjustment is intended to discouraging competitors from seeking ranking points during what is basically the rest interval.

Professional Adjustments

This period has been a challenging one for Boulter.

She won only 14 elite main-draw contests and currently parted ways with coach Biljana Veselinovic after a lengthy working relationship in which she captured three WTA titles.

"Biljana is an exceptional instructor, and an extremely quality person as well, which produces circumstances particularly challenging," Boulter commented.

The quest for a new instructor is well under way, seeking an individual who has top-tier background as Boulter still believes she can be a world-class player.

Career Objectives

"Going forward with a new coach, an important factor I'm completely sure on is that they are going to be an individual who has considerable knowledge in how to advance to the highest echelon of this sport," she said.

"I've been ranked as advanced as twenty-three and I believe I can climb back there. I don't think my level has disappeared, I feel the steadiness should improve.

"My objective is not merely to be positioned fifty, forty, 30, 20 - we've achieved that. The objective is to be inside 20."