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Britain's Katie Boulter says she feels she has to "pick between my physical health and my professional position" as the competition carries on for a spot in January's Australian Open main draw.

While the regular WTA Tour competitive period is over, there are still ranking points to be gained in South American nations, regional locations, multiple sites and European destinations.

The female entry list for the initial Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be determined by the world rankings of early December, which could present a difficult choice for competitors near the cut.

Physical Setbacks

Previous British top-ranked player Boulter experienced an groin injury in her last tournament of the year in Hong Kong last timeframe, and is now evaluating whether to participate in the WTA 125 Challenger event in French locations, the European nation, in the first week of December.

Boulter's recent injury, and the fact she would need to secure at least several wins in the French tournament to boost her standing, means she may well ultimately not participating.

Contrasting Methods

In opposition, male players are not confronting the same dilemma, as for the premier occasion the male Australian Open participant roster will be established from current week's rankings, which is the ATP's official season-concluding position determination.

The modification is aimed at preventing players from chasing ranking points during what is basically the break period.

Coaching Changes

This period has been a demanding one for Boulter.

She won only 14 Tour-level primary competition contests and recently parted ways with coach Biljana Veselinovic after a lengthy collaboration in which she won three WTA championships.

"Biljana is an exceptional coach, and an exceptionally excellent person as well, which creates situations very difficult," Boulter commented.

The quest for a replacement coach is actively progressing, looking for someone who has top-tier background as Boulter continues to think she can be a top-20 athlete.

Career Objectives

"Going forward with a different trainer, an important factor I'm absolutely certain on is that they are going to be a professional who has considerable expertise in how to succeed to the highest echelon of this game," she explained.

"I've been placed as advanced as 23 and I am confident I can return to that position. I am not convinced my performance has diminished, I feel the consistency needs to develop.

"My aim is not to be positioned fifty, 40, 30, 20 - we've been there. The aim is to be inside the top twenty."