After a disappointing 2023 season spent on the sidelines, 2024 saw a positive return for Emma Raducanu. The entirety of the 2023 season left fans yearning for her dazzling performances back from the US Open 2021. For Raducanu, it meant making sure she was ready for her comeback. Following the time spent in Brisbane and Melbourne, Emma Raducanu now prepares to mount a campaign for the WTA 1000 title in Abu Dhabi and makes her thoughts on her injuries plain.
Emma Raducanu gave an extensive interview on the real depth of her injuries from 2023, giving fans a real peek behind the curtain. Her revelations might just mean there was more to the injuries than she let on.
Did Emma Raducanu keep fans in the dark about more injuries?
Ahead of her match at WTA Abu Dhabi, Emma Raducanu spoke extensively about her time spent recovering from injuries. While fans certainly missed her, it seems her journey of getting better was tougher than she initially let on.
“I’ve never really had the chance to do proper training weeks back-to-back. For six or seven months, before I ended up having the surgeries, I was only practicing one or two hours a day just to limit the load on the wrists,” she said in an interview with The National News. The real trouble for Raducanu, it seems, was not just staying away from the sport she loves.
It was also to limit the kind of work that she could put into her game, especially since her wrists had been the root cause of the injury. Moreover, these comments might be indicative of underlying injury problems for the Brit, ones that plagued her even before she ventured towards the option of surgery. Not to mention, some struggles with sickness also appeared during her time in Australia.
Renewed Raducanu stands firm on making 2024 a positive season
Despite the numerous injuries Raducanu fought through, the ones on her wrist or even not being able to walk without crutches for a period of time, the Brit remains determined to step back onto the court. The first part of this was evident in her exploits in the land down under.
While she started off her campaign with two exits in the ASB Classic and the Australian Open, Emma Raducanu already shows positive signs when it comes to performances after injuries. While she may not have gone deep into tournaments, she surely looks on track to gain her old form back.
With the WTA 1000, the tennis world has a real chance to see what Raducanu can do when she is not limited by injuries. It will be interesting to see whether her performances change, and just how much did the injuries slow her down from the path to success.
Darts sensation Luke Littler has revealed the key advice handed to him by fellow Brit Emma Raducanu.
The 16-year-old shot to stardom over the festive period, as he reached the final of the 2023 World Darts Championship final, only to lose to Luke Humphries.
But Littler has continued where he left off following his recent success, claiming the his first major crown at the Bahrain Masters just a few weeks ago.
Born in Warrington, Littler has become an overnight celebrity following his performances at Alexandra Palace and was even pictured at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground.
Taking part in a darts challenge alongside the likes of Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay, the Darts sensation has continued to make waves around the world.
Comparisons have began to fly in between Littler and Raducanu, giving the sporting feat achieved by both at such young ages.
Then teenager Radacanu shocked the world to win the 2021 US Open at just 18 but has since struggled with injuries and dealing with the resulting fame.
Speaking to The Guardian earlier this week, Littler wasn’t aware of the tennis star, despite her kind words,
“I would just say: ‘Keep your circle close, take time to actually enjoy it and don’t rush into the next thing straightaway,’” said Raducanu ahead of the Australia Open.
My friend just sent me a picture of the boy who was like 16, who made the final, I think? He lost in the final. She was like: ‘I can’t believe this guy’s only 16 years old,” added the 21-year-old.
Emma Raducanu’s US Open triumph has seen her installed as the bookies’ favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Littler’s relationship with Eloise Milburn is another facet to his character which has also faced scrutiny, with the youngster also opening up on how the pair deal with the media attention.
“That’s what I knew from the very start,” Littler added, when asked about the pressure of being in the public eye.
“We knew people would find out [about their relationship] but it started off very bad. As the weeks go on [the abuse of Milburn on social media] has been almost forgotten.
“We’ve been talking for a few months now. I’ve brung her along to the worlds, got to the final and whatever people say, they can say it. It’s not going to affect me or my mental strength.
“I’ve got guys doing my Instagram now and they delete it before I see it.”
Citing Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open win, Marta Kostyuk said that the luck of the draw plays a big role in a player’s run at Grand Slams.
Just three months after making her tour-level main-draw debut in Nottingham in 2021, Raducanu made history at the North American hardcourt Major. Having entered the tournament as a qualifier, she won the title without dropping a set.
She became the first female British singles Major winner in over 40 years and the first qualifier ever to win a Major singles title.
In New York that year, Raducanu faced one lucky loser and three unseeded players en route to the quarterfinals. She only faced two seeded players: 11th seed Belinda Bencic and 17th seed Maria Sakkari.
On the other hand, runner-up Fernandez faced a much tougher route to the final, beating the likes of second seed Aryna Sabalenka, third seed Naomi Osaka, and fifth seed Elina Svitolina.
At a press conference on the sidelines of the 2024 Australian Open, Kostyuk said that a player’s draw plays a role in how far he or she can go at a Major.
Every slam and every tournament is so unique and so different. We play in different conditions, different balls, different. Everything is different, opponents. Everything is different. I think a lot depends. Someone can have a very easy draw, and someone can have extremely difficult,” she said.
I have an easiest example of when Leylah and Emma were playing the final, what draw Leylah had and what draw Emma had. Emma, no offense, but Leylah was really fighting for her life every single match,” she added.
2024 Australian Open: Emma Raducanu makes 2R exit, Marta Kostyuk through to quarterfinals
Emma Raducanu’s search for a meaningful run at the Majors will continue after she made a second-round exit at the 2024 Australian Open.
The Brit began her campaign in Melbourne by beating Shelby Rogers in straight sets. She, however, stumbled in the following round, with Wang Yafan winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 54 minutes.
Marta Kostyuk, on the other hand, beat the likes of Claire Liu, Elise Mertens, and Elina Avanesyan to reach the fourth round, where she locked horns with qualifier Maria Timofeeva.
The Ukrainian was on song against the qualifier, defeating her 6-2, 6-1 to set up a quarterfinal clash with World No.4 Coco Gauff.
EMMA RADUCANU was knocked out of the Australian Open by China’s Yafan Wang after bravely battling breathing issues that saw her have her blood pressure taken on court.
The 2021 US Open champion, 21, recovered from a slow start to force the match into a third-set decider – but ended up losing 6-4 4-6 6-4.
A grueling nine-minute game at the beginning of the final set led to the Brit having a medical timeout.
Her blood pressure was taken by doctors as she wrapped a towel around her while sitting in her seat.
But after the required precautions were completed, Raducanu headed back out on to the court.
She bravely went on to hold her serve and had chances to break back for 2-2, only for Wang to keep her nerve and take a 3-1 lead.
The Chinese player was then one game away from the third round as she led 5-3, but Raducanu showed huge heart to hold to love and keep the match alive.
However, World No94 Wang successfully served it out to clinch victory after a marathon match that ended just four minutes shy of the three-hour mark.
It was World No 296 Raducanu’s first Grand Slam since last year’s Australian Open as she spent a lengthy period sidelined following surgery on both hands and her ankle.
She impressed in the first round with a 6-3 6-2 victory over American Shelby Rogers.
Raducanu’s breathing issues come after fellow Brit Jack Draper was seen throwing up immediately after his first-round, five-set win earlier this week.
After shaking hands with opponent Marcos Giron, the 22-year-old showed how much the Melbourne heat had impacted him as he crouched over and hurled into a bin.
Meanwhile, Raducanu’s recovery from three surgeries in 13 days included some bizarre methods such as dunking her hands in a bucket of rice for 75 minutes.
This is a form of therapy for healing hands and wrists and helps to improve grip and forearm strength.
Speaking to one of her sponsors, Porsche, she said: “I have such high standards of myself. You need massive amounts of dedication.
“If you have that, that’s where you’re going to really go above and beyond.
“The exercises I love are pretty much all in the gym. You hate them at the time but after you do them, you love them because you feel unbelievable after.
“At one stage I was doing a lot of rice exercises, like hand in a bucket of rice, moving it around, and it was killing me.
“You’re just staring at the clock for the whole hour, like ‘get me out of here’. I don’t want to see rice again!
“I truly realise how much I really missed it [tennis]. How grateful I am to be on the court playing pain-free. It’s an amazing feeling. And I really think that I can achieve whatever I want to.”
Iga Swiatek will be the hot favourite to win a first Australian Open when it begins on Sunday, but could face a stiff challenge from reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka.
AFP Sport highlights five women to watch at first Grand Slam of the year:
Iga Swiatek
The world number one is a four-time Grand Slam champion but has never been beyond the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
The Polish player rocketed back to the top of the rankings after winning her first WTA Finals trophy in November.
She enjoyed a stellar season in 2022, recording 37 straight wins, but faltered last year, with her 75-week run as number one ending in September.
However, Swiatek, 22, lost only one of her final 13 matches of the season and followed up by winning all five of her singles at the United Cup this month.
Aryna Sabalenka
The 2023 Australian Open champion looked on course to finish the year on top of the world rankings until Swiatek pipped her by winning the WTA Tour finals.
The consistent Belarusian, who came from a set down to beat Elena Rybakina in the final 12 months ago, boasted a fine record at the majors last year.
She reached the semi-finals in Paris and at Wimbledon before losing to Coco Gauff in the final of the US Open.
The powerful 25-year-old was the first player since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach at least the semi-finals at all four Slams in a single season.
Sabalenka reached the final at the recent Brisbane International, losing to Rybakina.
Elena Rybakina
The Russian-born Kazakh came close a year ago to adding the Australian Open crown to her 2022 Wimbledon title, losing to Sabalenka in three sets.
The world number three started the year in style, dropping just three games in beating Sabalenka in the Brisbane final, where she lost only 15 games in five matches.
“For sure it gives me confidence,” she said about her Australian Open prospects. “I’m playing well now, so hopefully I continue.”
Naomi Osaka
The Japanese fan favorite knows her way around Melbourne Park, triumphing in 2019 and 2021, but she is something of an unknown quantity this year.
The former world number one has admitted she almost gave up on tennis but is now back in love with the sport.
The 26-year-old stepped away from the game in September 2022, citing mental health concerns. She subsequently gave birth to daughter Shai.
Osaka will be unseeded after dropping to 833 in the world.
Emma Raducanu
Britain’s Emma Raducanu stunned the tennis world when she won the US Open in 2021 as a qualifier but only on one other occasion has she reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam.
The 21-year-old has plummeted to 299th in the world after an eight-month layoff with ankle and wrist injuries.
Raducanu, who has a high profile despite her relative lack of success, took Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina to three sets in round two in Auckland.
But she is still feeling her way back from injury and will likely regard any sort of run in Melbourne as a bonus.
Emma Raducanu must focus more on staying fit rather than beating her opponents, according to Laura Robson.
Robson believes the 21-year-old should just be pleased to be back out on the court after such a lengthy absence through injury.
Raducanu hasn’t played a Grand Slam since exiting last year’s Australian Open in the second round.
She underwent surgery on both hands and her left ankle last April and has only recently returned to action.
The 2021 US Open winner played at the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this month, where she beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse before losing to second seed Elina Svitolina.
Raducanu will begin her Australian Open campaign against America’s Shelby Rogers early next week.
Robson knows all about playing through pain, having been forced to retire due to injury in 2022.
She is pleased to see Raducanu back out doing what she does best and believes she now has the right support staff around her.
Robson told Sky Sports: “I’m so happy to see Emma Raducanu back on court.
“I know how hard she’s been working over the last six, seven months and I just think she’s got some of that joy back of playing tennis the way she used to back in the day, when you first picked up a racket and you just want to crack the ball.
“That’s what she does best.
“I think you can tell from the smile on her face she’s absolutely gunning to be out there.
“She’s got the support of Ian Bates, who has done the majority of the work over the last few months with her, and then Nick Cavaday has come out here for extra support and a bit more guidance.
“I know she is big on doing a lot of the research herself before she faces someone, but it’s always handy to have someone with you.”
Robson claims 31-year-old Rogers will provide good competition for Raducanu in the tournament opener.
But she also does not think the Brit should worry too much about her results.
Robson added: “It’s a good test to play someone like Shelby Rogers who’s a fairly big hitter from the back of the court because Emma likes that power coming on to her and I was impressed with how she played in Auckland against Elina Svitolina.
“From what I’ve seen and heard of her practising in Melbourne, she’s striking the ball so cleanly, really trying to play it as aggressive as possible.
“Hopefully, that’s a good outcome.
“But at the same time the results almost don’t matter for her at the moment.
“It’s about getting back on court as much as possible in match situations and trying to stay as healthy as possible.”
Raducanu admitted recently that her matches in New Zealand took her a while to get over but says she is in a good place heading to Melbourne.
She said: “For a few days after the matches I was sore but I’ve bounced back from that and I’m feeling good now.
“I did a lot of good work in the off-season.
“But regardless of how good I may feel on the court on a particular day or in practice, getting that level of consistency is going to require more time.
“I’ve been doing the right work, doing it consistently. I just need to keep going more and more.”
British number one Cameron Norrie made a winning start at the Auckland Classic and Jack Draper produced a stunning comeback to progress in Adelaide.
Norrie, runner-up last year in the city where he grew up, defeated Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1.
Draper survived two match points to beat Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets – but Dan Evans lost to Alexander Bublik.
Cameron Norrie has won five titles on the ATP Tour
Meanwhile, in pre-Australian Open exhibition matches, Andy Murray lost to Marin Cilic and Emma Raducanu withdrew.
Raducanu, who had pulled out of a charity match in Melbourne on Tuesday, decided the following day that she would no longer play 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva at the Kooyong Classic on Thursday as she continues to feel some soreness in her first weeks back on tour.
That is not expected to affect the 2021 US Open champion’s participation at the Australian Open, where she is set to make her Grand Slam return after missing much of 2023 following ankle and wrist surgeries.
At the Kooyong Classic, former world number one Murray was defeated 6-3 7-5 by Croatia’s former US Open champion Cilic as the Scot’s losing start to the year continued.
Murray, 36, was beaten in the opening round of the Brisbane International earlier this month and told BBC Sport a fortnight ago that this year could be his final one on the tour if it proved to be as challenging as the end to last season.
The three-time Grand Slam champion, who won just two matches in his final five events of last year, will face 2020 US champion Dominic Thiem in another exhibition match on Thursday.
There were wins for Britons Harriet Dart, Francesca Jones and Oliver Crawford in Australian Open qualifying – but Heather Watson and Jan Choinski saw their hopes of competing at the first major of the year ended.
The draw for the 2024 Australian Open takes place in Melbourne on Thursday (02:00 GMT).
An emotional Norrie was close to tears after losing his second Auckland final to France’s Richard Gasquet one year ago.
The 28-year-old, who has a Scottish dad and Welsh mum, was born in South Africa and brought up in New Zealand – the nation he represented as a junior.
Also beaten by American Tennys Sandgren in the 2019 title decider, the world number 19 was made to work hard at the start of his latest bid for a trophy he would like to win so dearly.
Norrie missed a match point in the tie-break of a second set edged by teenager Van Assche, who then broke at the start of the decider.
But Norrie responded emphatically to that setback and closed out the match in impressive fashion by winning six consecutive games.
“I think it was exactly what I needed. I had to fight hard and the crowd got behind me,” said Norrie, who plays Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in the last eight.
“It’s the match I needed before Australia. This is a special tournament for me.”
Draper, 22, had to come through a serious examination but displayed great endurance as he outlasted the higher-ranked Kecmanovic to set up a quarter-final against American top seed Tommy Paul.
After Draper conceded a tight first set when he lost serve in the 12th game, the second continued into a tie-break in which the 55th-ranked Serb rallied from 5-2 down to reach match point.
But, on the brink of defeat when trailing 8-7 and then 9-8, world number 62 Draper clinched his fourth set point to force a decider.
Another recovery was required as that too went the distance, with Draper heading for defeat at 4-1 down in the concluding tie-break.
The Briton won five of the next six points to reach match point for the first time and he closed out an epic contest at the third opportunity to win a 5-7 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (9-7) after three hours and 39 minutes.
However, British number two Evans was unable to join Draper in the last eight after losing 4-6 6-2 6-1 to Kazakh eighth seed Bublik.
Making his return from injury in Adelaide following the calf tear he sustained in Vienna in October, Evans, who impressed in his opening win on Tuesday, made a promising start to take the first set against the world number 31.
But the match unravelled rapidly for the 40th-ranked Evans after he fell a break of serve down in the second set, with Bublik cruising to victory by winning 10 of the last 11 games.
Dart, Jones & Crawford win in Melbourne
Dart could meet Cypriot Raluca Georgiana Serban or Czech player Gabriela Knutson in the final qualifying round
Dart was among five Britons to begin their bid for a place in the Australian Open main draw on Wednesday, after rain prevented any matches taking place at the start of the week.
The British number three, ranked 114th, defeated Italy’s Nuria Brancaccio 6-2 7-6 (7-4) and will face Ukraine’s Yulia Starodubtseva in the second of three qualifying rounds.
Jones also progressed with a 6-2 6-4 win over Margaux Rouvroy of France to set up a meeting with German teenager Ella Seidel, but Watson lost 6-4 6-3 to Swiss player Lulu Sun.
In the men’s draw, Crawford, who last week switched from representing the United States, defeated Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-3 3-6 6-1.
Italian Francesco Passaro is up next for Crawford, who joins Billy Harris and Ryan Peniston in the second round.
However, Choinski is out following a 6-4 6-0 loss to Lebanese-German player Benjamin Hassan.
Rybakina & Pegula win in Adelaide, Alcaraz beaten
In an exhibition match at Melbourne Park, men’s world number two Carlos Alcaraz lost out in a match tie-break against Australia’s 10th-ranked Alex de Minaur, who delighted his home crowd with a 6-4 5-7 10-3 victory.
World number three Elena Rybakina, runner-up at last year’s Australian Open, continued her preparations for this year’s tournament by beating Spaniard Cristina Bucsa 6-3 7-5 at the Adelaide International.
Second seed Jessica Pegula also progressed but had to come from a set down to beat fellow American Bernarda Pera 4-6 6-2 6-3.
Elsewhere, 21-year-old American top seed Ben Shelton – a potential final opponent for Norrie – reached the quarter-finals at the Auckland Classic by beating Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-3 6-4.
At the Hobart International, Belgian top seed Elise Mertens won 6-2 6-3 against Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to reach the last eight.
But 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 to Australian Daria Saville.
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.
Emma Raducanu has left fans split with their predictions for her comeback
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.
Emma Raducanu underwent surgeries on both of her wrists and one ankle
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.
Emma Raducanu has not played a match in almost nine months
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.”
Emma Raducanu has said her spell out of the sport recovering from injury has “definitely reignited the fire” to compete ahead of her comeback at the ASB Classic in Auckland. The Brit required surgery on her ankle and both of her wrists in May, which left her sidelined for the majority of the 2023 season. She is now set to return in Auckland before attempting to qualify for the Australian Open.
Emma Raducanu believes she is a “better tennis player” now despite being out of action since April as she prepares to make her highly anticipated comeback
The Brit was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open before her first-round match due to injury and subsequently underwent surgery on her ankle and both of her wrists.
That left Raducanu facing a frustrating spell on the sidelines but having ramped up her training both on the court and off, the 21-year-old believes she is in all-round better shape to return to the tour at the start of the new year.
Physically and tennis-wise in training and in practice over the last few weeks I’m hitting the ball really well,” Raducanu told Sky Sports. “I think I’m a better tennis player than I was actually before the break.
“I think the people around, at the LTA for example everyone can see that I’m training and playing really well.
“Physically, I’m pushing weight, I’m pushing things that I wasn’t pushing before, so I think in my body I actually have confidence in it, which is really nice. And tennis-wise I feel good too.
“It’s just about now putting it into a match, which is obviously completely different to practice. That part I couldn’t really replicate, you could do with sets but it’s never really the same feel.
“I know that will come in time though, as long as the level is there and improving.”
Raducanu admitted there were “a few hiccups” in her recovery but that her time away has “definitely reignited the fire” to compete with the world’s best once again.
The Brit famously came through three qualifying matches en route to lifting the US Open title in 2021, becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open era.
She faces a similar task if she is to lift the Australian Open, which gets underway on January 14 live on discovery+.
Raducanu isn’t in the main draw but is set to headline the qualifying event, which begins on January 8.
Before all that, though, she will make her first appearance in more than eight months at the star-studded ASB Classic in Auckland.
Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff is in the field, as are Elina Svitolina and Caroline Wozniacki, but Raducanu insists she is “excited” to take on anyone as she plots her return to the top of the game.
“The field here in Auckland is extremely strong,” she added. “Match-wise it might take a while to just adjust to the feeling of the pre-match nerves or match fitness, tight points, big points, that sort of thing.
“It might take me a while but level-wise I feel really good. So I’m excited to play anyone. It doesn’t matter to me.
“I think the Tour was pretty interesting last year but from what I was told because I didn’t really follow it to be honest.
“Wimbledon was a bit too close for home for me. I had to go there for a few days for some commitments but other than that I stayed far away and the US Open as well.
“So I think I did take my time away but now I feel good, I feel refreshed.”
Emma Raducanu is reportedly facing the prospect of competing in the Australian Open qualifiers in order to play in next month’s tournament. The Brit is set to make her long-awaited comeback from injury in preparation for the Major, but is holding onto hope of being awarded a last-minute wildcard.
The i claim that Raducanu has requested a wildcard after her special ranking (world No 103) was not enough to qualify her for the main draw, as a result of an injury-ravaged 2023 that saw her spend eight months sidelined following surgeries on both wrists.
But the 21-year-old has not received any indication, positive or negative, as to whether she will receive a wildcard with the tournament two weeks away – leaving her sweating over whether she will need to take part in qualifiers.
Raducanu has been granted a wildcard for the ASB Classic in Auckland next week, where she will make her initial return from injury as he bids to enjoy a healthier 2024.
Emma Raducanu may not be awarded an Australian Open wildcard.
She is then expected to head to Australia regardless of whether she is given a wildcard and can prepare in Melbourne, or for the qualifiers as she was previously confirmed as one of the entrants for the qualifying draw.
The Brit may have another chance of skipping qualifying should three more players pull out of the tournament through injury, after Caty McNally recently withdrew.
Emma Raducanu is hoping to put an end to eight months of injuries
Tennis Australia has already given a wildcard to 2018 champion Caroline Wozniacki, who is coming out of retirement to compete. A further two spots will be handed to French and American players as part of an agreement with their respective opens.
Another wildcard is typically reserved for a player from the Asia-Pacific region, leaving four more for Australian women in their home event.
Raducanu may have hoped for sympathy from the tournament organisers as she makes her comeback from injury, but could instead be forced to go through the qualifiers.
