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British Katie Boulter says she feels she has to "decide between my physical condition and my ranking" as the scramble carries on for a position in next January's Australian Open primary competition.

While the typical WTA Tour season is over, there are still position points to be won in Latin American countries, regional locations, various venues and international tournaments.

The women's entry list for the first Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be calculated from the international positions of the December cutoff, which could cause a difficult choice for competitors close to the qualification line.

Health Challenges

Previous British top-ranked player Boulter suffered an abductor in her last tournament of the year in Hong Kong last period, and is now weighing up whether to compete in the WTA 125 Challenger event in European venues, France, in the opening days of December.

The athlete's recent injury, and the fact she would need to secure at least three matches in Angers to improve her position, means she may probably eventually not competing.

Varying Approaches

In contrast, men's competitors are not facing the identical dilemma, as for the initial instance the men's Australian Open entry list will be established from current week's standings, which is the ATP's official season-concluding standing calculation.

The modification is intended to preventing players from seeking ranking points during what is fundamentally the break period.

Professional Adjustments

This season has been a difficult one for Boulter.

She achieved merely 14 elite primary competition matches and currently split with instructor Biljana Veselinovic after a three-year partnership in which she won multiple WTA victories.

"Biljana is an exceptional instructor, and an exceptionally excellent human as well, which creates situations particularly challenging," Boulter commented.

The quest for a replacement coach is well under way, seeking an individual who has elite expertise as Boulter still believes she can be a elite-level player.

Professional Aspirations

"Progressing 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 experience in how to advance to the highest echelon of this sport," she explained.

"I've been ranked as high as 23 and I believe I can return there. I am not convinced my standard has disappeared, I believe the consistency should improve.

"My goal is not merely to be placed fifty, forty, thirty, twenty - we've accomplished that. The goal is to be among the elite group."