Emma Raducanu prepared to stay in the Middle East for another week after she confirmed plans to play in the upcoming WTA 1000 event in Doha.

The 2021 US Open champion made her Abu Dhabi Open debut this week and she notched up her first win in the Middle East when she defeated world No 26 Marie Bouzkova in the opening round before going down against second seed Ons Jabeur on Wednesday.

Despite some worries about her ankle during her two-set loss against Jabeur, Raducanu’s ailment doesn’t seem to be too significant, and she should be able to play again at the Qatar Open the following week.

Despite Raducanu’s 3-3 start to the season, the young British player has stated that her goal for the first few games of this campaign is to gain experience after an injury-plagued 2023 season.

In response to a question regarding her itinerary after her defeat, Raducanu said, “Hopefully playing Doha.” After that, I return, resume my training, and maybe travel to the United States.

The former world No. 10 isn’t on the entry list since her ranking was too low before the official cut-off dates, so she’ll need a wildcard to enter both the Sunshine Double in the United States and the Middle Eastern tournament.

Raducanu is currently ranked No. 296 in the WTA Rankings, but after her victory in the United Arab Emirates, she is expected to move up to No. 261.

If she decides to compete in the February 11–17 Qatar Open, she may have another difficult draw as the unseeded player could go up against top-ranked players Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Jabeur in the opening round of the WTA 1000 tournament for 2024.

Aryna Sabalenka, the defending Australian Open winner and world No. 2 in the rankings, will be among the other elite players at the Indian Wells Open (March 6–17) and Miami Open (March 19–31).

When asked how she lost to Jabeur 6-4, 6-1, Raducanu said it would be preferable to “forget” about the match as soon as possible.

It was a challenging game. I think she played extremely well, but I personally need to forget about the match because Ons is a tough opponent.

She is an excellent opponent with incredible hand abilities who can really hurt you on the court, especially when it comes to the heavier balls. She has excellent defensive skills, and I believe I can get better at that as well.