Physical Health versus Ranking - Katie Boulter's Australian Open Dilemma
Britain's Katie Boulter states she believes she has to "pick between my physical health and my world standing" as the scramble continues for a place in next January's Australian Open primary competition.
While the regular WTA Tour tournament schedule is completed, there are still position points to be won in Latin American countries, Argentina, Ecuador and France.
The female competitor lineup for the initial Grand Slam of the upcoming season will be determined by the global standings of early December, which could create a difficult choice for athletes approaching the cut.
Physical Setbacks
Previous British leading competitor Boulter experienced an groin injury in her last tournament of the year in Asian venues last period, and is now considering whether to compete in the WTA 125 Challenger event in French locations, the European nation, in the initial week of December.
The athlete's ongoing health concern, and the fact she would need to secure at least several wins in the French tournament to enhance her ranking, means she may likely eventually not playing.
Different Systems
In opposition, male players are not experiencing the same situation, as for the first time the men's Australian Open competitor lineup will be drawn up from present week's positions, which is the ATP's standard annual-final standing calculation.
The adjustment is aimed at deterring athletes from seeking position points during what is basically the rest interval.
Coaching Changes
This period has been a challenging one for Boulter.
She secured just 14 Tour-level primary competition matches and recently parted ways with trainer Biljana Veselinovic after a lengthy collaboration in which she won three WTA titles.
"Biljana is an incredible coach, and an exceptionally excellent individual as well, which makes things particularly challenging," Boulter said.
The pursuit for a different instructor is well under way, looking for someone who has top-tier background as Boulter maintains the belief she can be a top-20 competitor.
Professional Aspirations
"Going forward with a replacement instructor, a key aspect I'm very clear on is that they are going to be a professional who has extensive knowledge in how to succeed to the highest echelon of this sport," she explained.
"I've been positioned as high as twenty-three and I believe I can climb back to that position. I am not convinced my standard has diminished, I think the reliability needs to improve.
"My objective is not merely to be placed fifty, forty, 30, 20 - we've accomplished that. The aim is to be within 20."