Britain’s Emma Raducanu says she feels “reborn” as she prepares to make her tennis return in Auckland after eight months on the sidelines.
The 2021 US Open champion performed simply 9 matches in 2023, having been out of motion since April.
Raducanu, 21, had surgical procedure on each palms and her left ankle in Could, and has dropped to 298th on the earth rankings.
She was provided a wildcard for subsequent week’s Auckland Basic and has drawn a qualifier within the first spherical.
“I really feel reborn in a method. I really feel recent, I really feel prepared, I really feel joyful and I really feel excited,” she mentioned.
“General, I am feeling constructive and lighter. I feel that for 2 years after the US Open I felt perhaps a bit extra weight on my shoulders, however now I really feel fully recent.”
Ought to she win her first match in Auckland, Raducanu – who has entered the event with a protected rating – will face Danish former world primary Caroline Wozniacki or Ukrainian Elina Svitolina within the second spherical.
However the former world quantity 10 should undergo qualifying to succeed in the primary draw of the Australian Open, with the primary Grand Slam event of 2024 beginning on 14 January.
