Emma Raducanu continues slide down WTA world rankings as new world No 1 named

Emma Raducanu has once again dropped down the WTA rankings as a result of her lengthy lay-off, with the Brit now the world No 194. The 20-year-old has not featured since being beaten by Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April but has hopes of returning to the tennis court before 2023 draws to a close. Following her defeat in Germany, Raducanu took the decision to address several of her recurring injury woes by undergoing surgery. The former British No 1 went under the knife on her wrists and her ankle in the hope of bouncing back to pain-free full fitness by the end of the year. She undertook the surgeries to prevent the injuries from hindering her as she looks to rediscover her top form. Raducanu has not featured since but remains hopeful that a return before 2024 is the plan. But when she does get back out on court, she will be aware she needs to put some wins on the board to climb back up the world rankings. The 2021 US Open champion now finds herself with the task of breaking back into the top 100, having previously been the world No 10 in July 2022.