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British Katie Boulter says she feels she has to "pick between my physical health and my professional position" as the race persists for a spot in January's Australian Open main event.

While the standard WTA Tour competitive period is over, there are still ranking points to be earned in Latin American countries, neighboring countries, Ecuador and European destinations.

The female entry list for the opening Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be calculated from the international positions of the December cutoff, which could create a difficult choice for competitors near the qualification line.

Health Challenges

Ex- British top-ranked player Boulter suffered an hip muscle in her final event of the year in Hong Kong last timeframe, and is now evaluating whether to participate in the WTA 125 secondary tournament in Angers, France, in the initial week of December.

The athlete's ongoing health concern, and the fact she would need to win at least several wins in the European event to boost her standing, means she may probably end up not playing.

Different Systems

In comparison, men's competitors are not confronting the same predicament, as for the premier occasion the male Australian Open entry list will be drawn up from present week's rankings, which is the ATP's formal year-end standing calculation.

The modification is aimed at deterring players from chasing ranking points during what is basically the off-season.

Training Transitions

This period has been a challenging one for Boulter.

She won only 14 professional primary competition contests and currently split with coach Biljana Veselinovic after a extended collaboration in which she captured three WTA titles.

"Biljana is an outstanding instructor, and an exceptionally excellent person as well, which produces circumstances very difficult," Boulter stated.

The pursuit for a replacement trainer is actively progressing, looking for an individual who has top-tier experience as Boulter continues to think she can be a world-class player.

Professional Aspirations

"Moving ahead with a new coach, one thing I'm completely sure on is that they are going to be a professional who has a lot of experience in how to make it to the highest echelon of this profession," she stated.

"I've been positioned as high as twenty-three and I am confident I can climb back there. I am not convinced my performance has disappeared, I feel the consistency should enhance.

"My objective is not to be ranked fifty, forty, thirty, 20 - we've accomplished that. The goal is to be among 20."