Emma Raducanu has signed up for the Hobart International as she continues to build her 2026 calendar. The world No. 29 has already committed to the United Cup, a mixed-gender team tournament kicking off on January 2. And Raducanu is keen to get even more matches under her belt before heading to the Australian Open.

The Brit will make her tournament debut at the WTA 250 event in Hobart, which runs from January 12 to January 17. Organisers announced Raducanu’s participation on social media on Wednesday. “Grand Slam champ vibes at Hobart 2026, brought to us by Emma Raducanu,” they wrote.

Raducanu joins a strong field, including two-time Major winner Barbora Krejcikova, world No. 20 Elise Mertens, and defending champion McCartney Kessler. Teenage star Iva Jovic and Queen’s champion Tatjana Maria have also signed up.

The British No. 1 is currently hard at work out in Barcelona, where she’s enjoying a pre-season training block with Spanish coach Francis Roig. Raducanu is set to enjoy Christmas at home in the UK before heading Down Under for the Australian summer of tennis.

Raducanu will start her season in Perth at the United Cup, where the British team has been drawn in Group E. They will face Japan on January 4, and Greece on January 5. The winning team from each group advances to the quarter-finals.

The 23-year-old is expected to face Naomi Osaka in her singles match during the tie against Japan, and will likely take on Greece’s Maria Sakkari. Raducanu has already earned wins over both players. Jack Draper, Billy Harris, Lloyd Glasspool, Mimi Xu, and Olivia Nicholls will also be part of the British team. Retired former world No. 4 Tim Henman is the captain.

Raducanu has made it no secret that she wants to be seeded for the Australian Open, and she’s already in prime position. The top 32 players are seeded at Grand Slams and she’s currently ranked at No. 29 in the world.

And the former US Open champion will arrive in Australia as a “better” version of herschelf after her pre-season block with Roig. Before jetting to Barcelona for the month, Raducanu explained: “I think one thing I’ve done with Francis, he’s wanted me to focus a lot more on building a better Emma Raducanu and a better base level.

“It’s something that I don’t think I’ve necessarily done before. I’ve always been more tactical, more just having to exploit their weaknesses if they have any, and trying to be very crafty in that sense. And it works. But of course, the ideal is that you don’t have to necessarily think too much about the other players, and you can just go and execute your game and know that you can win.

“But I think with certain, I guess, disposition in terms of, like, my weapons or power, I don’t necessarily have something that can just blow someone off the court like that. So I do have to use my skill, use my brain a little bit more. But I also think that with Francis, he’s trying to build a better quality, not necessarily by changing my physiological capacities, just by using better technique, using better timing and using better movement.”