Emma Raducanu is back in action at the Qatar Open in Doha and you can watch her match against Anhelina Kalinina, live on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel.

The 2021 US Open champion has been showing positive signs having spent eight months out of action in 2023 after wrist and ankle surgeries.

The 21-year-old was hampered by a stomach bug during her loss at the Australian Open but her tennis was encouraging and she stepped up her comeback with victory over Marie Bouzkova in Abu Dhabi before being denied a spot in the quarter-finals by Ons Jabeur.

She received a wildcard into the Qatar Open on Friday where she has been drawn to face world No 32 Anhelina Kalinina in a tough opening round with former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko awaiting the winner.

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Raducanu was beaten by Ons Jabeur at the Abu Dhabi Open last week

Where could Raducanu play next?

Britain's Emma Raducanu celebrates after victory against USA's Shelby Rogers in their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 16, 2024. (Photo by David GRAY / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --
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Raducanu could play at Indian Wells and Miami – live on Sky Sports Tennis

The first two WTA 1000 tournaments of the season are in Doha on February 11 – when our dedicated Sky Sports Tennis channel launches – and Dubai on February 18.

Whether Raducanu plays Dubai will likely depend if she receives another wildcard, as her ranking is currently not high enough to get into the main draw.

She is ranked at No 296 in the world although she is set to rise to No 261 following her latest win. Not even her protected ranking (which is given to players who are out of action for an extended period) of No 103 is enough to get into the draw at most top tournaments.

But given the fact she is a former Grand Slam champion and draws in big crowds, there is a high possibility she will be offered wildcards into the main draw of many future tournaments.

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Raducanu is grateful to be injury-free after making a winning return to action following eight months out of the game

After that, we could well see her at Indian Wells in early March.

The third WTA 1000 of the season is set in the California desert and is known as the unofficial fifth Grand Slam. It is one of the biggest tournaments on the calendar as it has a larger draw size of 128 singles players. The Miami Open which follows will also be an option for her.

Whether we will see Raducanu represent Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup or the Paris Olympics is not yet known. Great Britain play France again on April 12-13, but Raducanu may not feature.

The tie will be played on indoor clay, which is the same surface as the following week’s tournament in Stuttgart, where Raducanu is likely to play as it is organised by Porsche, one of her sponsors.

Last year she lost in the first round while in 2022 she made the quarter-final.

What is a protected ranking?

A player who is out of competition for more than six months but less than one year may use her special ranking for up to eight tournaments in a one-year period.

A player who is out of competition for one year or more may use her special ranking for up to 12 tournaments in a one-year period.

If a player is out of competition due to pregnancy or a medical condition, she is allowed three years to use her special ranking. In the event of pregnancy, the time period is calculated from the birth of the child.

Upon her return, a player is eligible to use her special ranking for seeding purposes at the first eight WTA tournaments she plays.

A player may freeze her ranking up to two times. Under the previous rule, a player was allowed to freeze her ranking just once.

Sky Sports Tennis launches on Sunday

The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day
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The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day

Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland, with Sky Sports Tennis set to launch on Sky and NOW on Sunday, making tennis content available all day, every day for fans.

Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.

Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches with a NOW Sports Day and Month Membership, via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports Arena, and Sky Sports Mix channels.

For further access, fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports app, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.

Big names in action on Sky Sports Tennis this week

WTA Qatar Open

Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff

ATP ABN Amro Open Rotterdam

Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev

ATP Delray Beach Open

Dan Evans, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe

ATP Argentina Open

Cameron Norrie, Carlos Alcaraz, Stan Wawrinka

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Take a look at Sky Sports’ brilliant new tennis advert! Don’t forget, play starts on February 11

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You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel

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Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership



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