Emma Raducanu’s return to top-level tennis is now mapped out and we can only hope that the curious few who seem to delight in her failings will soon be silenced.
After missing most of 2023 due to injury, the 2021 US Open champion is preparing to make her return to action in Auckland next month and it has now been confirmed that she will be among the seeds for the qualifying draw at the Australian Open.
While it may appear to be an alarming backwards step for a Grand Slam champion from just two years ago to be playing in qualifying, this could be the perfect platform for Raducanu’s return.
The spotlight will never be taken off a player who has the potential to become one of the biggest stars in world sport, but she is starting all over again in a story that will be as compelling as her first coming in tennis.
FIRST STEPS
Raducanu is on her way back from ankle and double wrist surgery and has not played since last April, so initial expectations need to be diluted.
Reigning US Open champion and 2023 Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina are among the big names who could be paired with Raducanu early in the tournament in Auckland, with expectations needing to be diluted for the 21-year-old Brit.
She will then head to Melbourne for an Australian qualifying competition using her protected WTA world ranking of No 103, which was the ranking she sat at when her injury break kicked in earlier this year.
WHY THE HATE?
Every time we post a story about Raducanu on Tennis365’s social media platforms, it doesn’t take long for one of her seemingly devoted haters to send a negative response.
Some losers appear to have set up social media accounts purely to fire negativity in Raducanu’s direction and these individuals must not be fans of tennis.
Jealousy is a corrosive emotion and that must be at the root of the snipes that flow towards a young athlete who has the potential to be a gift to tennis over the next decade.
Her image was tarnished by her agent’s decision to snap up so many sponsorship deals after the US Open win two years ago, as that gave the impression that Raducanu was driven by cash rather than success on the court.
Yet those same social media critics would have been the first in the queue to take the cash that was on offer to Raducanu after her New York heroics and their persistent delight in her failure to shine on court since her breakthrough is as ugly as it is unnecessary.
Women’s tennis needs stars to shine and promote the sport and anyone who loves tennis should be relishing the prospect of a fit and revived Raducanu back on the big stage.
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open plans confirmed as special ranking gives her a much-needed boost
REALISTIC TARGETS?
Progress through a couple of rounds in Auckland would be great preparation for Australian Open qualifying, where an improving Raducanu should have a chance to get some match wins under her belt.
It can only be hoped that her long lay-off and deflated WTA ranking will help to lower the hype around Raducanu in the first few months of her comeback, but that is unlikely given her profile on the global stage.
Raducanu’s move to return in a lower profile tournament in Auckland and then compete in qualifying in Melbourne will give her a chance to assess where her game is as she looks to clamber back up the rankings from her current position of No 299.
If Raducanu can get back into the top 50 of the WTA rankings back the end of 2024, that would represent great progress and anything more than that would be a triumph.
RADUCANU’S VIEW
“I will be coming back with probably a lower ranking, but I’m looking forward to starting again, kind of resetting.
“I already have that in the bank, so now I can keep going and keep building from here. I still have new goals, new things I want to achieve.
“But I’ve still got like 15 years left in my career, so there’s no rush.”
WHAT THEY SAY
Former British No 1 Tim Henman: “It’s massively exciting to have Raducanu coming back. I think it’s important that everybody around tennis who’s a fan, who’s excited to see Raducanu back on the court, manages their expectations.
“She’s been out for a long, long time and she’s still massively inexperienced. She’s played so few tour level events, she’s played so few matches in her whole professional career.
“So for me, from, let’s say, the first three, four months of the year, I think if she could stay injury-free and play a whole series of tournaments without any setbacks, I think that would be fantastic because there is no doubt about her ability.
“She’s an incredible tennis player. She’s working hard to build her physical resilience so that she can be out on court, be on tour and compete. I think patience is a really important word for Raducanu herself, but also all the people that are excited to see her come back.
“She’s 21 years of age. She’s got the next ten years in front of her. She just needs to build that foundation so that she can get out on tour and compete and show the undeniable talents that she has.”
