Physical Health or Ranking - Boulter's Melbourne Grand Slam Dilemma
Britain's Katie Boulter says she feels she has to "decide between my physical condition and my ranking" as the scramble continues for a place in next January's Australian Open main draw.
While the regular WTA Tour season is completed, there are still position points to be gained in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and international tournaments.
The female entry list for the opening Grand Slam of the upcoming season will be calculated from the international positions of 8 December, which could create a dilemma for competitors close to the qualification line.
Injury Concerns
Previous British top-ranked player Boulter tore an abductor in her concluding competition of the year in Asian venues last month, and is now considering whether to participate in the WTA 125 Challenger event in European venues, France, in the opening days of December.
The athlete's recent injury, and the situation she would need to achieve at least multiple victories in Angers to boost her standing, means she may well end up not playing.
Varying Approaches
In contrast, men's competitors are not facing the same predicament, as for the premier occasion the men's Australian Open competitor lineup will be created from current week's positions, which is the ATP's formal season-concluding ranking date.
The change is designed to deterring athletes from seeking ranking points during what is basically the break period.
Professional Adjustments
This period has been a challenging one for Boulter.
She achieved merely fourteen professional major tournament games and recently separated with trainer Biljana Veselinovic after a lengthy partnership in which she captured several WTA titles.
"Biljana is an incredible coach, and an remarkably quality person as well, which produces circumstances particularly challenging," Boulter commented.
The search for a replacement instructor is actively progressing, seeking a professional who has high-level experience as Boulter continues to think she can be a elite-level competitor.
Professional Aspirations
"Progressing with a different trainer, a key aspect I'm very clear on is that they are going to be someone who has extensive expertise in how to advance to the peak performance of this sport," she stated.
"I've been positioned as elevated as 23 and I know I can climb back to that level. I am not convinced my performance has disappeared, I believe the steadiness should develop.
"My objective is not simply to be positioned 50, 40, thirty, 20 - we've accomplished that. The objective is to be among 20."