Emma Raducanu is just three more withdrawals away from earning a spot in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Raducanu's eight-month injury lay-off is set to end in the New Year when she competes at the Brisbane International and ASB Classic.
Having not played since April, Raducanu's ranking has plummeted down to 299th in the world.
The British tennis star had been hoping her special ranking (world No 103) would have been enough to make it through to the main draw.
Emma Raducanu will return in the New Year
PA
That would have been enough to qualify for the 2023 Australian Open main draw, but the cut-off for this year's major has been raised due to more players using their special ranking.
Last week saw her confirmed as one of the entrants for the Australian Open qualifying draw.
But there is some hope that Raducanu may still make it through to the main draw and skip qualifying entirely.
American player Caty McNally has announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open having originally used her special ranking to qualify.
Kamilla Rakhimova has taken McNally's spot, meaning Raducanu needs just three more withdrawals to make it into the 128-strong main draw.
There's a strong chance that may happen too as several high-profile WTA stars are carrying injuries heading into the first major of the year.
But Raducanu is running out of time with qualifying for the Australian Open getting underway on January 8.
If the 21-year-old doesn't make it into the main draw with her special ranking then it will be the first major she will have to qualify for since her historic win at the US Open in 2021.
Raducanu came through qualifying at Flushing Meadows that year to become the first qualifier to win a major in the Open era.
Emma Raducanu has had her injury issues
PA
The 2024 season will see Raducanu need to climb back up the rankings to get back to where she once was.
But the former British No 1 is looking forward to the challenge of trying to rediscover her best form.
“I will be coming back with probably a lower ranking, but I’m actually looking forward to starting again, kind of resetting,” Raducanu said recently.
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Emma Raducanu will need to climb back up the rankings
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“I already have that in the bank, so now I can keep going and keep building from here.
"I still have new goals, new things I want to achieve.
“But I’ve still got like 15 years left in my career, so there’s no rush.”
