Body or Ranking - Boulter's Australian Open Dilemma
British Katie Boulter says she feels she has to "decide between my body and my ranking" as the race persists for a spot in the upcoming January Australian Open main draw.
While the regular WTA Tour competitive period is completed, there are still position points to be earned in Latin American countries, Argentina, various venues and European destinations.
The women's competitor lineup for the initial Grand Slam of the forthcoming season will be determined by the global standings of the December cutoff, which could cause a dilemma for players approaching the qualification line.
Physical Setbacks
Former British top-ranked player Boulter experienced an groin injury in her concluding competition of the year in Hong Kong last timeframe, and is now evaluating whether to play in the WTA 125 secondary tournament in Angers, the continental destination, in the initial week of December.
Boulter's recent injury, and the situation she would need to win at least multiple victories in the European event to enhance her position, means she may likely eventually not playing.
Different Systems
In contrast, male athletes are not confronting the same predicament, as for the first time the men's Australian Open competitor lineup will be drawn up from present week's rankings, which is the ATP's formal annual-final standing calculation.
The adjustment is aimed at deterring athletes from seeking standing points during what is essentially the off-season.
Coaching Changes
This period has been a demanding one for Boulter.
She won only 14 Tour-level primary competition games and recently split with trainer Biljana Veselinovic after a lengthy collaboration in which she captured three WTA victories.
"Biljana is an outstanding trainer, and an extremely good individual as well, which produces circumstances extremely hard," Boulter said.
The quest for a replacement coach is well under way, seeking a professional who has high-level background as Boulter maintains the belief she can be a top-20 competitor.
Professional Aspirations
"Moving ahead with a new coach, one thing I'm very clear on is that they are going to be an individual who has a lot of knowledge in how to succeed to the peak performance of this profession," she stated.
"I've been ranked as high as twenty-three and I know I can return to that position. I don't believe my performance has gone anywhere, I believe the reliability should develop.
"My objective is not merely to be placed 50, 40, thirty, twenty - we've achieved that. The goal is to be inside the top twenty."