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British Katie Boulter says she feels she has to "choose between my body and my professional position" as the scramble persists for a position in January's Australian Open main draw.

While the regular WTA Tour competitive period is completed, there are still ranking points to be gained in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and France.

The women's entry list for the initial Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be based on the world rankings of early December, which could cause a challenging situation 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 international locations last month, and is now considering whether to compete in the WTA 125 Challenger event in European venues, France, in the first week of December.

The athlete's recent injury, and the reality she would need to achieve at least several wins in Angers to improve her standing, means she may likely end up not participating.

Varying Approaches

In contrast, men's competitors are not confronting the identical predicament, as for the premier occasion the men's Australian Open competitor lineup will be created from this week's positions, which is the ATP's standard annual-final position determination.

The change is aimed at discouraging players from pursuing standing points during what is fundamentally the off-season.

Professional Adjustments

This season has been a challenging one for Boulter.

She won only 14 professional primary competition games and recently parted ways with trainer Biljana Veselinovic after a three-year partnership in which she captured multiple WTA championships.

"Biljana is an outstanding instructor, and an exceptionally quality person as well, which creates situations extremely hard," Boulter stated.

The search for a different trainer is actively progressing, seeking someone who has top-tier background as Boulter continues to think she can be a elite-level player.

Future Goals

"Going forward with a new coach, one thing I'm completely sure on is that they are going to be an individual who has a lot of knowledge in how to make it to the very top level of this sport," she said.

"I've been placed as high as 23 and I am confident I can return to that position. I don't believe my performance has disappeared, I believe the steadiness must enhance.

"My objective is not merely to be positioned 50, 40, thirty, 20 - we've achieved that. The goal is to be among the elite group."