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British tennis player Emma Raducanu due to make her match return in New Zealand
Image source, Getty Images
British tennis player Emma Raducanu will soon be making a comeback to high-level tennis competitions.
The 2021 US Open champion hasn't played a match since April after struggling with injuries and has had three operations on both of her wrists and her ankle this year.
Her absence from the sport means Raducanu has fallen to 296 in the world rankings, but she now has an opportunity to make her mark in the tennis world once again.
She'll be playing at the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland, New Zealand next month, alongside the 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff and the former world number one Caroline Wozniacki who are also in the line-up.
Raducanu, who is 21, was awarded a wildcard to take part in January's competition, which means she's able to compete without having to take part in qualifying matches, and without having to be ranked at a particular level.
The women's tournament begins on 1 January and will run until the 7.
Until recently, there were doubts over whether Raducanu would make next year's tournament, but those fears have eased in recent weeks as she has increased her training.
She had been hoping to play at an event in Macau last weekend, but withdrew last month as she was not sure she would be ready in time.
Image source, Getty Images
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"I will be coming back with probably a lower ranking, but I'm actually looking forward to starting again, kind of resetting," Raducanu said in a 大象传媒 interview earlier this year.
"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."
Image source, Getty Images
Although Raducanu will be taking part in the ASB Classic, she won't be able to compete in the Australian Open - which takes place from the 14-28 January - unless she either qualifies, is given a wildcard, or if several higher ranked players drop out.
The tennis player has what's known as a protected ranking, which allows players who haven't competed for a long time to re-enter events at the ranking they were at when they were last given money at an event.
However, Raducanu's protected ranking of 103 isn't enough to play at the US Open, which is being held in Melbourne next month.
If Raducanu doesn't qualify for the Australian Open, she might take the opportunity to play elsewhere.