Body versus World Standing - Boulter's Australian Open Dilemma
British Katie Boulter states she believes she has to "pick between my body and my professional position" as the race continues for a position in next January's Australian Open main event.
While the regular WTA Tour tournament schedule is over, there are still standing points to be won in South American nations, regional locations, multiple sites and European destinations.
The female competitor lineup for the first Grand Slam of the forthcoming season will be determined by the world rankings of early December, which could cause a challenging situation for athletes approaching the cut.
Physical Setbacks
Previous British number one Boulter suffered an abductor in her final event of the year in Hong Kong last period, and is now considering whether to compete in the WTA 125 Challenger event in European venues, the continental destination, in the opening days of December.
The athlete's ongoing health concern, and the fact she would need to secure at least multiple victories in Angers to improve her ranking, means she may likely ultimately not participating.
Contrasting Methods
In contrast, male players are not experiencing the identical predicament, as for the premier occasion the men's Australian Open entry list will be drawn up from present week's rankings, which is the ATP's official season-concluding standing calculation.
The adjustment is intended to discouraging athletes from pursuing standing points during what is basically the off-season.
Coaching Changes
This season has been a demanding one for Boulter.
She achieved merely 14 elite major tournament contests and recently split with trainer Biljana Veselinovic after a three-year working relationship in which she secured several WTA championships.
"Biljana is an exceptional coach, and an exceptionally quality individual as well, which produces circumstances very difficult," Boulter commented.
The quest for a new trainer is well under way, looking for someone who has elite experience as Boulter continues to think she can be a top-20 athlete.
Career Objectives
"Moving ahead with a replacement instructor, a key aspect I'm very clear on is that they are going to be a professional who has considerable knowledge in how to succeed to the highest echelon of this profession," she explained.
"I've been ranked as advanced as 23 and I believe I can get back to that position. I am not convinced my level has gone anywhere, I feel the steadiness needs to improve.
"My aim is not to be positioned 50, forty, 30, twenty - we've been there. The goal is to be among the top twenty."