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Emma Raducanu has signed up for the WTA 500 event at London’s Queen’s Club next year as she plots her return to competition. The Brit has not played a match since losing to Donna Vekic in the Queen’s final earlier this year. She played her last three matches of the tournament in the space of 26 hours due to rain delays and picked up a leg injury, which later developed into a stress fracture. Raducanu was forced to pull out of Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament due to this injury, and has fallen out of the top 100 during her inactivity.
Organisers of the HSBC Championships have now confirmed that Raducanu will return in 2027. She joins Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in the field for the WTA 500 event, which was introduced last year and takes place from June 7 to 13 next year.
Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Rafael Jodar have signed up for the ATP 500 event, staged the following week. Alcaraz missed the tournament this year due to a wrist injury, but is a two-time former champion.
After being sidelined for almost five months and counting, Raducanu is looking forward to competing in London again next summer.”Making the final of the HSBC Championships was a memorable moment in my career,” she said.
“To do so in London with a home crowd behind me and at a special venue like Queen’s was an incredible experience. The atmosphere throughout the week was electric and hopefully we can create even more memorable moments together next summer.”
Jodar, who broke the record for the shortest amount of time between his ATP debut and his top-10 debut this year, said: “The HSBC Championships is one of those tournaments you dream of playing as a young player.
“I'm excited to be part of such an iconic tournament next summer. The 2027 line-up for the HSBC Championships is already looking strong, but I’m ready to bring my best tennis and compete for the title.”
Although Raducanu has not competed since reaching the Queen’s final in June, she has been documenting her recovery process on social media. The 23-year-old has gotten back in the gym and back on the practice courts at the National Tennis Centre.
The Brit has dropped to No. 106 in the world while sidelined from competition. However, if she spends six months out of competition and waits until the new season in January 2027 to return, Raducanu will be eligible for a special injury-protected ranking.
This is given to players who have been sidelined for at least six months and is based on their ranking at the start of their inactivity. Raducanu’s protected ranking would therefore be inside the world’s top 40 – enough to enter all top events.
Players can enter up to eight tournaments, including two Grand Slams, with a protected ranking. Fellow Brit, Sonay Kartal, spent six months sidelined with a back injury this year and fell down the rankings.
However, she used a protected ranking to return to competition during the recent Asian swing and reached the biggest final of her career at the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan. This allowed Kartal to return to the top 60 in her own right.
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