Body or Ranking - Katie Boulter's Australian Open Dilemma
Britain's Katie Boulter admits she feels she has to "pick between my physical health and my professional position" as the scramble persists for a spot in January's Australian Open main draw.
While the typical WTA Tour tournament schedule is over, there are still position points to be gained in Latin American countries, neighboring countries, multiple sites and international tournaments.
The female competitor lineup for the initial Grand Slam of the upcoming season will be calculated from the international positions of early December, which could create a difficult choice for athletes approaching the selection threshold.
Health Challenges
Former British leading competitor Boulter experienced an abductor in her last tournament of the year in international locations last month, and is now evaluating whether to play in the WTA 125 development competition in European venues, the European nation, in the opening days of December.
Boulter's recent injury, and the fact she would need to secure at least three matches in the European event to enhance her standing, means she may well eventually not playing.
Contrasting Methods
In comparison, male players are not experiencing the equivalent dilemma, as for the first time the male Australian Open entry list will be created from current week's positions, which is the ATP's official year-end ranking date.
The change is aimed at deterring players from chasing standing points during what is basically the rest interval.
Coaching Changes
This season has been a difficult one for Boulter.
She won only 14 Tour-level main-draw games and lately split with coach Biljana Veselinovic after a lengthy partnership in which she secured multiple WTA victories.
"Biljana is an incredible trainer, and an extremely quality individual as well, which produces circumstances particularly challenging," Boulter commented.
The quest for a replacement trainer is currently ongoing, looking for an individual who has high-level background as Boulter continues to think she can be a world-class competitor.
Career Objectives
"Going forward with a new coach, one thing I'm completely sure on is that they are going to be someone who has considerable experience in how to make it to the very top level of this sport," she explained.
"I've been ranked as elevated as 23 and I am confident I can climb back to that level. I don't believe my level has disappeared, I feel the reliability must improve.
"My goal is not simply to be positioned 50, 40, thirty, 20 - we've accomplished that. The goal is to be within the elite group."