Emma Raducanu has been included in the main draw for the US Open after returning to the world’s top 100 for the first time in 15 months. The 21-year-old made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, where she was beaten by Lulu Sun despite putting up a good fight.
Her impressive run at SW19 saw her climb 41 ranking positions, meaning she is back into the top 100 having been absent from the list for over a year. It also means she will be in the main draw at the US Open without needing a wildcard.
Raducanu is, of course, a former US Open champion having won the event three years ago in one of the great sporting shocks. Other ex-champions, such as Bianca Andreescu and Angelique Kerber, will need wildcards after not being included in the main draw of 96 players.
Andy Murray will also need a wildcard for the men’s draw with his current ranking of 123 meaning he did not make the cut. He is yet to confirm if he will play at the US Open, having indicated that he will retire from tennis at the end of the summer.
The 37-year-old will represent Great Britain at the Olympics later this month but it remains unclear what he will do after that. He recently hinted that he was not overly concerned about playing at the US Open, suggesting that he might retire before then.
Quizzed on when he might decide to hang up his racket, Murray said: “Probably if I was going to finish my career I would rather finish at Wimbledon or an Olympic Games. To me that would probably be more fitting.
“I’ve had amazing experiences and memories from Wimbledon but also being part of British Olympics teams. To get a chance to compete at a fifth one is a reason to stay motivated and continue playing. Like I said, a lot of it is based on results and physically how I’m feeling as well.”
It comes after Rafael Nadal was included on the entry list for the US Open despite being yet to confirm if he will play in New York. The veteran Spaniard is currently 261st in the world but has a protected ranking of ninth to put himself into the field.
Murray and Nadal will have plenty of time to mull over their decisions, with the final Grand Slam of the year set to get underway in late August.