Emma Raducanu planning 2024 comeback after injury struggles and coaching changes following US Open success

Britain’s Emma Raducanu has given an update on when she is likely to return to tennis, targeting a 2024 comeback after suffering with injuries this season.

The 20-year-old struggled with a recurring wrist problem in the early part of 2023 and underwent a minor procedure on both hands in May as well as having surgery on her ankle.

At the time, she said she expected to be sidelined only for “a few months” but Raducanu has now confirmed she won’t be fully fit until sometime in 2024 at the earliest.

“This season all the slams were finished so it was difficult to watch them go by but I was trying to stay in my lane as much as possible and keep focused on my recovery.”

Raducanu shot to fame with her victory in the 2021 US Open, becoming the first qualifier to win a major singles title in the Open era.

Since then, however, she has been hampered by physical issues and a loss of form. She hasn’t made it past the second round of a Grand Slam since the 2021 final at Flushing Meadows and has now fallen outside of the world’s top 200 having reached a high of 10 in the rankings.

But Raducanu insists she takes any and all criticism as a “compliment” and admits her “ultimate” goal is to become the first female British singles champion at the All England Club since Virginia Wade in 1977.

“The fact they are still talking about me even though I’m not at these events is just a compliment. Someone told me, ‘Worry when they are not talking about you’,” she added.

“Wimbledon is the dream and always has been growing up. It’s still the ultimate dream to win Wimbledon.”