Emma Raducanu will make her comeback against Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the ASB Classic.
Emma Raducanu has Express Sport readers divided as she prepares to make her comeback at the ASB Classic in Auckland. The 21-year-old has been sidelined since undergoing three surgeries in May and will be back in action on Tuesday to face Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Raducanu is set to play her first match in almost nine months after receiving a wildcard into the ASB Classic. There is little to go off of given that Raducanu had been playing with injured wrists from the end of the 2022 season until her latest match – a 6-2 6-1 beatdown in Stuttgart back in April.
A former world No 10, she currently sits at No 301 following months of inactivity. It has left fans conflicted as to how she will fare, sending the Brit mixed messages about what she can achieve on her return. As she prepares to face Ruse in her first match back, 39 per cent of Express Sport tennis fans said that Raducanu would crash out in the first round.
But 38 per cent believe that she will be able to win a match before exiting in the second round, where she would face either Caroline Wozniacki or Elina Svitolina. 13 per cent are backing Raducanu to make it to the quarter-final while there are a few hopefuls that can see her going further and potentially winning the tournament.
And it’s not just her immediate comeback results that have fans split, as her Australian Open fate is also up for debate. Raducanu entered the first Grand Slam of the year with her protected ranking of No 103 in the world – a few spots too low for the main draw cut-off of No 99.
Unless several players withdraw in time, or she receives a wildcard, Raducanu will need to compete in the qualifying event from January 8. It’s a feat she has achieved before – famously coming through qualifying to win the 2021 US Open. But after months of rehab and recovery, three rounds of qualifying could be a big ask.
53 per cent of Express Sport readers are still throwing their weight behind Raducanu, voting that would be able to qualify for the Australian Open. But 47 per cent fail to see her making it into the first Grand Slam of the year.
Raducanu has also been given mixed signals over her ranking goals, with most fans falling into the camp that she will either re-enter the top 200 or the top 100. 32 per cent believe that, by the time Wimbledon comes around, the 21-year-old will have climbed up to anywhere between No 51 and No 100 in the world.
But another 32 per cent of readers also think that she will be sitting between No 101 and No 200 in the world. Some supporters are aiming higher, with 16 per cent backing her to get back into the top 50 before Wimbledon. Others are struggling to see Raducanu climb back up the rankings as 20 per cent believe she will stay outside of the top 200.
While there are plenty of unknowns, one thing that seems certain is that fans will see a rejuvenated Raducanu when she takes to the court on Tuesday. “I feel reborn in a way, I feel fresh. I feel ready, I feel happy, I feel excited,” the 2021 US Open winner said of her comeback. “So overall I’m feeling positive and lighter. For two years after the US Open I felt maybe a bit more like with a weight on my shoulders, but now I feel completely fresh.”
