Emma Raducanu will make her long-awaited return from injury at the ASB Classic in Auckland in January, as she prepares for a potential Australian Open campaign later that month.
Raducanu has been out of action since April, having opted to undergo surgery to fix problems in both wrists after withdrawing from the Madrid Open.
The 2021 US Open champion was initially hoping to return to the court before the end of 2023, but she ended up missing the remainder of the season due to that issue, which had been troubling her since the end of 2022.
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Raducanu is entitled to use a protected ranking of 103rd – where she stood at the end of the Madrid Open – to enter tournaments due to her long-term absence, but that is currently too low to earn automatic entry to the Australian Open, which begins on January 14.
As a result, she will either need to make her way through qualifying or hope for a wildcard from Tennis Australia, unless multiple players withdraw.
Raducanu will prepare for the year’s first grand slam by competing alongside Coco Gauff and Caroline Wozniacki at the Auckland event between January 1 and January 7, after receiving a wildcard.
Nāu mai, haere mai to @emmaraducanu 🤩🇬🇧
We can’t wait to see this Grand Slam champion make her 2024 return to the court in Auckland! Get ready for some summer heat on Centre Court 🔥
🎟️ Tickets: https://t.co/cC2FzIgMy2#ASBClassic #LetsPlay pic.twitter.com/ghQjsGXcgK
— ASB Classic (@ASB_Classic) December 6, 2023
Raducanu featured at the event for the first time last year, though it was a tournament to forget as she retired in tears after sustaining an injury during her second-round match against Viktoria Kuzmova.
Raducanu did recover to play at the 2023 Australian Open, but she was beaten in straight sets by Gauff in the second round and only played six further matches all year.
