Britain’s Emma Raducanu will no longer need to get through qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Open, as she has been offered a late wildcard into the main draw.
The 22-year-old was set to compete in qualifying for the first time since her fairytale run to the 2021 US Open title.
But Raducanu received a late invitation to the main draw and will face 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, of the Czech Republic, in the first round on Tuesday.
Raducanu is travelling to Abu Dhabi with her fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, but is without a coach following Nick Cavaday’s decision to step down for health reasons.
The world number 56 reached the third round of the Australian Open, but then lost a three-hour first-round match to Cristina Bucsa at the Singapore Open last Monday.
