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Emma Raducanu was forced to use a scooter while recovering from an ankle injury
The 2021 US Open champion has fallen to 298th place in the world after her absence
He will return to the circuit at the Auckland Classic on Monday
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Emma Raducanu believes her injury-induced hiatus from tennis has not stopped her progress towards becoming a better tennis player.
The 2021 US Open champion missed most of the 2023 season after operations on both wrists and one of her ankles, which has meant she has now fallen in the rankings to 298th in the world.
But the 21-year-old returns to the circuit with an appearance at the Auckland Classic on New Year’s Day and went into detail about her injury problems in an interview before her first match of the season.
Raducanu told Sky Sports: “I was playing and then I had the patch where I couldn’t play again for two months because of one of my wrists.
‘That was really difficult because I felt like I was just starting out and then I took a step back again.
Emma Raducanu believes that she is a better tennis player than before her absence due to injury
The British star used a scooter after ankle surgery and wrist procedures.
‘It was difficult, especially in the first few months. When you’re so used to being active and moving all the time, suddenly everything gets cut off.
‘I had like two wrists and one foot (injured), so I couldn’t even use crutches. Basically it had some kind of scooter and you pushed it with one leg.
‘It was really difficult. I couldn’t really go anywhere. I couldn’t go to the supermarket; Imagine being this motionless.
“I think it definitely rekindled the fire to get back into racing and made me appreciate just being healthy.”
A protected classification means you are in the main draw of the Auckland Classic, and Raducanu believes he is better off coming out of his absence than he was before the multiple injury setbacks.
Raducanu revealed: ‘Physically, in training over the last few weeks, I am hitting the ball very well.
“I think I’m a better tennis player than before the break.”
She noted that LTA officials were watching her train and play “very, very well,” lifting weights that she couldn’t before.
“In my body, I really have confidence in it, which is really nice and in tennis I feel good too,” he said.
“It’s just about putting it into practice in a match, which is obviously completely different from practice. I know that will come with time, as long as the level is there and improves.”
The 2021 US Open champion has now fallen in the rankings to 298th in the world
A protected classification means he will return to the Auckland Classic on January 1.
The British tennis player will play a qualifying match in the first round of the New Zealand event on Monday and, if she wins, will face either Caroline Wozniacki or Elina Svitolina in the second round.
Raducanu is eager to get started in Auckland and says she fears no opponent despite the potential of a heavyweight opponent in her second match back from injury.
She said: ‘The countryside here in Auckland is extremely strong. I’m excited to play anyone. It doesn’t bother me.
“I think, as far as the game goes, it may take a while to adjust to the feeling of nerves before the game or just the physicality of the game. But at the level I feel very good.”
The former top ten player will have to qualify for the Australian Open, after missing out on a wild card for the first Grand Slam in 2024.
She attempted to distance herself from the 2023 tour while she recovered, only attending Wimbledon due to work commitments, and says she feels “renewed” as a result of her time away from tennis.