### Predicting Emma Raducanu’s Schedule for the 2026 WTA Tour Season
Emma Raducanu’s 2025 season was a tale of resilience, with 28 wins, a career-high ranking of No. 30, and qualification for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, despite health setbacks like back spasms and heat intolerance during the Asian swing. As she ends 2025 early to prioritize recovery, her 2026 schedule is likely to reflect a balanced approach: focusing on mandatory events for top players (all Grand Slams and WTA 1000s), emphasizing the grass court season as a British player, and incorporating rest periods to manage her injury history. Based on her past patterns—such as starting the year in Auckland, prioritizing home events, and selective participation in WTA 500s and 250s—this prediction covers January to November 2026, assuming she enters as a top-35 player (her current trajectory after 2025). The 2026 WTA Tour calendar includes 10 WTA 1000s, 17 WTA 500s, and 22 WTA 250s, with key dates drawn from the official WTA schedule.
Raducanu’s priorities for 2026 will likely include building consistency (as seen in her 2025 Washington semifinals and first top-10 win since 2022), leveraging her serve tweaks under coach Francisco Roig (15% fewer double faults), and avoiding the “grind” that led to nine top-50 losses and a nine-match top-10 skid in 2025. With no major points defenses early in 2026 (e.g., 600 from 2025 AO third round), she’ll aim for a strong start to climb toward top-20. Rest periods are predicted between swings (e.g., post-clay, post-grass) to prevent burnout.
#### January: Australian Swing (Hard Courts)
– **ASB Classic (WTA 250)** — January 5-11, Auckland, New Zealand.
Raducanu has started her last three seasons here (second round in 2023-2025), making it a likely low-pressure opener to build form on hard courts. As a British player with Spanish ties, she favors this as a warm-up for Melbourne.
– **Australian Open (Grand Slam)** — January 18 – February 1, Melbourne, Australia.
A mandatory event and her “priority” for 2026, Raducanu will aim to surpass her third-round best (2022-25). Seeded as top 35, she’ll avoid early top seeds like Świątek or Sabalenka.
#### February: Middle East Swing (Hard Courts)
– **Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500)** — February 2-8, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Raducanu played here in 2024 and 2025 (second and first round), so she’ll likely return for points and familiarity post-AO.
– **Qatar Open (WTA 1000)** — February 9-15, Doha, Qatar.
Mandatory for top players; she debuted in 2025 (first-round loss). A chance to gain early hard-court points.
– **Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA 1000)** — February 16-22, Dubai, UAE.
Back-to-back with Qatar and mandatory; her 2025 debut reached the second round—likely to build on that.
#### March: North American Sunshine Double (Hard Courts)
– **Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000)** — March 2-15, Indian Wells, California, USA.
Mandatory; Raducanu has reached the fourth round (2023) and will prioritize this as a strong hard-court event.
– **Miami Open (WTA 1000)** — March 16-29, Miami, Florida, USA.
Mandatory and following Indian Wells; she reached the quarterfinals in 2022, making it a key target.
*(Predicted rest period: Late March to early April, to transition to clay and recover from the dense hard-court swing.)*
#### April: European Clay Swing
– **Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers** — April 6-12, Location varies (team event for Great Britain).
As a former BJK Cup semi-finalist, she could return if fit, providing lower-intensity clay prep.
– **Stuttgart Open (WTA 500)** — April 13-19, Stuttgart, Germany.
Sponsored by Porsche; she reached the quarterfinals in 2024 as a wildcard—likely return for clay acclimation.
– **Madrid Open (WTA 1000)** — April 20 – May 3, Madrid, Spain.
Mandatory; her third appearance, with a third-round best—potential for improvement under Roig’s clay expertise.
#### May: Clay Continuation and French Open
– **Italian Open (WTA 1000)** — May 4-17, Rome, Italy.
Mandatory; she returned in 2025 after a three-year absence and reached the fourth round—likely to recapture form.
– **French Open (Grand Slam)** — May 24 – June 7, Paris, France.
Mandatory; her two appearances reached the second round—aiming for deeper runs with Roig’s input.
*(Predicted rest period: Mid-June, post-French Open, to transition to grass and manage fatigue.)*
#### June-July: Grass Court Season (British Focus)
– **Queen’s Club Championships (WTA 500)** — June 8-14, London, UK.
Home event; reached the quarterfinals in 2024—priority for grass prep and fan support.
– **Eastbourne Open (WTA 250)** — June 22-27, Eastbourne, UK.
Played in 2024 (quarterfinals) and 2025 (second round)—likely for Wimbledon tune-up.
– **Wimbledon (Grand Slam)** — June 29 – July 12, London, UK.
Mandatory home Slam; fourth round in 2021 and 2024—her strongest major, targeting deep runs.
#### July-August: Hard-Court Summer Swing
*(Predicted rest period: Mid-July, post-Wimbledon, to recover and prepare for hard courts.)*
– **Citi D.C Open (WTA 500)** — July 27 – August 2, Washington, D.C., USA.
Kickoff for hard courts; quarterfinalist in 2024 and 2025—consistent results make it a staple.
– **Canadian Open (WTA 1000)** — August 2-13, Toronto, Canada.
Mandatory; third round in 2025—aiming to build on hard-court form.
– **Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000)** — August 12-23, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Mandatory; third round in 2025—key for US Open prep.
– **US Open (Grand Slam)** — August 30 – September 13, New York, USA.
Mandatory; her 2021 title and third-round 2025—targeting deep runs leveraging history.
#### September-October: Asian Swing and Finals (Hard Courts)
– **China Open (WTA 1000)** — September 28 – October 11, Beijing, China.
Mandatory; third round in 2025—potential for points, but injury history in Asia may influence.
– **Wuhan Open (WTA 1000)** — October 12-18, Wuhan, China.
Mandatory; retirement in 2025 debut—aiming for redemption if fit.
– **Ningbo Open (WTA 500)** — October 19-25, Ningbo, China.
First-round loss in 2025—likely for points if Asia fits her schedule.
*(Predicted rest period: Late October to November, post-Asian swing, to conclude the season.)*
This predicted schedule assumes a healthy Raducanu entering as top 35, focusing on 18-20 events with rest to avoid 2025’s injury toll. Under Roig’s continuity, 2026 could be her breakout year—Australia’s the launchpad.
