Britain’s Emma Raducanu will make her comeback to the tennis tour in Auckland within the first week of January.
The 2021 US Open champion has been out of motion since April and has fallen to 296 on the planet rankings following three operations.
She has been awarded a wildcard into the ASB Traditional, with US Open champion Coco Gauff and former world primary Caroline Wozniacki additionally within the line-up.
The ladies’s match on the Auckland Traditional takes place from 1-7 January.
The Australian Open – the primary Grand Slam of the season – begins on January 14.
Raducanu, 21, was restricted to only 9 matches in 2023 and in Might had surgical procedure on each of her arms and left ankle, which she injured in Auckland at the beginning of the yr.
The hand ache, attributable to a bone very near her wrists, had been troubling her because the finish of the 2022 season.
Having been injured for greater than six months, Raducanu is entitled to make use of a protected rating of 103 – her rating on the conclusion of the Madrid Open, which was the final occasion she entered.
That’s presently simply too low to earn automated entry into the Australian Open, so Raducanu might want to make her means by qualifying – except a wildcard is obtainable by Tennis Australia, or about half a dozen gamers withdraw.
Raducanu had been hoping to play an exhibition occasion in Macau final weekend however withdrew final month as she was undecided she can be prepared.
She nonetheless flew to Hong Kong to fulfil some sponsor obligations however is predicted to proceed her preparations on the Nationwide Tennis Centre (NTC) in London later this week.
Raducanu is alleged to have made good progress coaching with LTA employees on the NTC over the previous eight weeks, however she has nonetheless not firmed up the staff that can accompany her on tour subsequent yr.
If Raducanu doesn’t have to qualify for the Australian Open, then she might take the chance to play elsewhere.
There are WTA occasions in Hobart and Adelaide within the week earlier than the Australian Open, and she or he may be tempted by the prospect to play exhibition matches on the Kooyong Traditional in Melbourne.