Britain’s Katie Boulter says she feels she has to “choose between my body and my ranking” as the race continues for a place in the main draw of January’s Australian Open.
Even though the WTA Tour regular season is over, there are still ranking points up for grabs in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and France.
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As a result, the women’s entry list for the first Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be based on the world rankings on December 8, which could pose a dilemma for players close to the cut.
Although 104 players will receive direct entry into the Melbourne draw, this includes those with protected rankingsmeaning Boulter – who injured his hip in October – could miss out despite currently sitting in 100th place.
“If there are tournaments there it gives you an opportunity because you want to be in the main draw for Australia,” Boulter, 29, told BBC Sport.
“I’m in this tough situation myself right now, and it’s almost like I have to choose between my body or my ranking.
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“I think I know my own choice, but it’s difficult because it means everyone is going to play and surpass me.”
Former British number one Boulter tore a captor at her final event of the year in Hong Kong last month and is now considering whether she will compete in the WTA 125 Challenger event in Angers, France, in the first week of December.
On the other hand, male players do not face the same dilemma since, for the first time, the list of male entries for the Australian Open will be established based on this week’s rankings.
“I think it would probably be the smart thing to do,” Boulter said.
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“There has to be a place where you set a limit and you give people the opportunity to recover and have a good pre-season.
“I feel like this year we’ve seen so much burnout and so many people not playing at the end of the year because of mental health issues as well as body issues, and I think that contributes to it.”
Boulter’s recent injury and the fact she would need to win at least three matches at Angers to improve her ranking means she may well not play.
But that likely means she’ll need to win through qualifying if she wants to make the main draw at Melbourne Park for the sixth time in her career.
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No coach but the top 20 “the objective”
This year has been difficult for Boulter.
She has won just 14 Tour main draw matches and recently parted ways with coach Biljana Veselinovic after a three-year partnership in which she won three WTA titles.
“Biljana is an incredible coach, but also a very good human, which makes things very difficult,” Boulter said.
“I think it was just time. I think we both felt it was the right thing to do. We’ve accomplished so much together.
“I’m still going to spend a lot of time talking to her, I think she’s still an integral part of my team.”
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The search for a new coach is well underway, looking for someone with top-level experience as Boulter still believes she can make the top 20.
“When it comes to a new coach, one thing I am very clear about is that it will be someone who has a lot of experience reaching the highest level of this sport,” she said.
“I’m ranked 23rd and I know I can get back there. I don’t think my level is gone, I think the consistency needs to improve.
“My goal is not to be ranked 50, 40, 30, 20 – we got there. The goal is to be in the 20s.”
