Emma Raducanu sets sights on Wimbledon comeback

Emma Raducanu has expressed confidence as she prepares for Wimbledon, discussing her chances at the All England Club. The 2021 US Open champion missed the grass season last year due to surgeries on both wrists and an ankle, which ended her season prematurely.

Despite an impressive start to the clay swing with significant wins in the Billie Jean King Cup and Stuttgart Open, the British player is not participating in the French Open. Her ranking left her as the third alternate, and the organisers chose to award wildcards to lower-ranked local players.

The 21-year-old has competed in the main draw at Wimbledon twice. In 2021, Raducanu reached the fourth round, a precursor to her subsequent US Open triumph. The following year, she was eliminated in the second round by Caroline Garcia.

Raducanu remains optimistic as she prepares for the grass tournaments, a surface she feels comfortable on: "I'm doing a lot of good things and I know it's going to happen. If not this Wimbledon, next Wimbledon. No one ever knows when it's going to show up."

“I feel good, I'm playing well, and I'm training really hard,” she told Grazia. "But I'm doing a lot of good things and I've put in a lot of work – it's heading in a good place. I fully back myself and trust myself. It's just a matter of when really."

Raducanu plans to make her return to the courts at the upcoming Nottingham Open, which begins on 8 June: "I've been doing the right things and I'm just looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd,” she added.