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Britain's Katie Boulter admits she feels she has to "pick between my physical health and my world standing" as the race continues for a position in January's Australian Open main draw.

While the standard WTA Tour season is over, there are still standing points to be won in Chile, neighboring countries, Ecuador and international tournaments.

The female entry list for the opening Grand Slam of the 2026 season will be calculated from the international positions of 8 December, which could cause a challenging situation for competitors approaching the selection threshold.

Health Challenges

Ex- British leading competitor Boulter experienced an abductor in her last tournament of the year in international locations last month, and is now evaluating whether to participate in the WTA 125 Challenger event in French locations, the continental destination, in the opening days of December.

Boulter's ongoing health concern, and the situation she would need to secure at least several wins in Angers to boost her position, means she may likely end up not competing.

Varying Approaches

In comparison, men's competitors are not experiencing the same predicament, as for the premier occasion the men's Australian Open entry list will be drawn up from current week's rankings, which is the ATP's standard year-end position determination.

The adjustment is designed to deterring players from chasing ranking points during what is basically the break period.

Training Transitions

This season has been a demanding one for Boulter.

She secured just fourteen Tour-level main-draw contests and recently separated with trainer Biljana Veselinovic after a lengthy working relationship in which she won multiple WTA victories.

"Biljana is an incredible trainer, and an extremely good individual as well, which creates situations particularly challenging," Boulter said.

The quest for a different trainer is actively progressing, looking for a professional who has top-tier background as Boulter still believes she can be a top-20 athlete.

Professional Aspirations

"Progressing with a different trainer, an important factor I'm very clear on is that they are going to be a professional who has a lot of expertise in how to advance to the peak performance of this profession," she stated.

"I've been ranked as high as 23 and I know I can return to that level. I am not convinced my standard has disappeared, I believe the steadiness should improve.

"My aim is not to be positioned fifty, forty, 30, twenty - we've accomplished that. The aim is to be inside 20."