Raducanu's comeback suffered another setback as the British athlete lost 3-6 2-6 to Japan's Moe Na Uchijima in the first round of the Indian Wells Open.

The defeat left Raducanu in a less than glorious position in the WTA 1000 tournament's all-time record – she became the lowest ever won Grand Slam champion in the division. She currently has a 42.3% win rate at WTA 1000, slightly lower than Italy's Schiavoni's 42.4%.

However, unlike the other players on the list, Raducanu's only major win of her career so far remains the 2021 US Open title. Since that victory, she hasn't even reached another final at any level of tour.

In contrast, the other four players on this list – Kenin, Stephens, Schiavone and Ostapenko – have all won other titles on tour than just a single Grand Slam title. The first three players have also reached another Grand Slam final, while Ostapenko won the doubles title at the 2024 US Open with partner Lyudmila Kichenok.

Raducanu's first-round loss at Indian Wells dropped four spots to 59th in the rankings, from 55th to 59th, and her career-high ranking was 10th in mid-2022.

Raducanu is known for changing coaches frequently. She even parted ways with coach Andrew Richardson, who helped her win the 2021 US Open, just weeks after she won the US Open. At the beginning of the year, she was coached by Nick Kawadai, but the partnership ended at the end of January.

According to the BBC, Raducanu has now teamed up with Slovak coach Vladimir Platnik. The coach has a wealth of experience in professional tennis, having helped Slovakia's former world No. 4 Cibulkova through a slump. Under his tutelage, Cibulkova reached the semi-finals of the 2009 French Open and swept Sharapova 6-0 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

Most recently, Platnik coached the dark horse player Sun Lulu for the 2024 season. Under his guidance, the New Zealander reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon as a qualifier. Coincidentally, in the fourth round of her Wimbledon journey, she defeated Raducanu to make her dream come.

Since her memorable trip to the US Open in 2021, Raducanu has endured a number of injuries. However, even when healthy, she failed to make much of a breakthrough in the Circle. Since winning the US Open, she has only reached the semifinals of WTA-level tournaments twice. Frequent injury breaks have kept her from moving up the world rankings, so she tends to be up against top players in the early rounds.

However, Raducanu could have avoided this dilemma in another way, and it is her only option at the moment – she must play more WTA 250 events or even relegate to WTA 125 events to accumulate wins. Whether she wants to accept it or not, she is not in enough form to compete with the top players in women's tennis every week.

Participating in lower-level events has its advantages, and several of the biggest names have benefited from it recently. The prime example is Svitolina and Bencic, who both opted to compete in WTA 125 events in the early days of their comebacks, and this strategy has paid off.

Svitolina returned to action after giving birth to her baby in 2023, but lost her first three matches after her comeback, two of which were at the WTA 1000 level. She quickly realized that she needed to gain some experience before she could compete with the top again. As a result, she chose to participate in a WTA 125 tournament and successfully reached the final. She went on to win the Strasbourg Open (WTA 250), the quarter-finals at the French Open, and the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

Bencic also competed in three ITF events at the end of the 2024 season before returning this year, which set the stage for her success this year. Her results gradually improved and she reached the final of the season in her final event. She reached the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open and won the Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500 event). From being unranked at his first ITF event in October 2024 to now in the top 60 of the WTA rankings, Bencic is on a solid comeback.

Raducanu could also follow their lead and relegate to gain experience and form. While some may think that this choice doesn't match who she is, it just shows her dedication to tennis and her determination to improve herself. If she wants to get back to the top, this is the best way to go.

Due to Raducanu's long-standing popularity, she was able to earn a wild card in almost every event she wanted to participate in. However, if she doesn't want to compete on the ITF Tour, opting to start with qualifying is also a good option. At this year's Abu Dhabi Open, she was willing to play in the qualifying tournament, but the tournament eventually gave her a wild card to the main event.

The two extra qualifiers could go a long way in her confidence and form. After all, she had made it all the way from the US Open qualifiers, and it would be nice to try again. When her ranking doesn't guarantee her direct entry to the main draw of a WTA 1000 or WTA 500 event, she can try to qualify for the tournament instead of relying on a wild card.

Many players have made breakthroughs through qualifying, with Arango being the most recent example. She won a WTA 125 event in Cancun, Mexico, and then reached the final of the Mérida Open (WTA 500) as a qualifier. Winning brings self-confidence, and a winning streak often makes players realise that they are more competitive.

Ideally, Raducanu should focus on competing in the lower divisions. She hasn't reached the final of any tournament since winning the US Open in 2021, and that was nearly four years ago. Even if she easily beats a lower-ranked player in a WTA 250 or WTA 125 event, being able to win four or five matches in a row will greatly boost her game form and sense of competition, which will be a crucial step back to the top.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)