‘Reborn’ Emma Raducanu feeling positive ahead of 2024 season

Britain's Emma Raducanu says she feels “reborn” as she prepares to return to action at next week's Auckland Classic after an injury-disrupted 2023.

The former US Open champion missed much of the year after wrist and ankle surgeries but will return to Auckland with a protected ranking a year after leaving the tournament in tears after rolling ankle during a second round match.

“Yeah, I feel reborn in a way. I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy and excited,” Raducanu said at a press conference on Saturday.

The 21-year-old is now ranked world No. 298, having slipped from career No. 10 in July 2022.

She missed out on a wildcard for the Australian Open which begins on January 14 and will have to follow a similar path to her run at Flushing Meadows in 2021, when she became the first player in the Open Era to win a major tournament after successfully qualifying.

She said she no longer felt burdened by the expectations that followed her triumph in New York.

“Overall I feel positive and lighter. I think for two years after the US Open I felt maybe a little more weight on my shoulders, but now I feel completely fresh” , Raducanu said.

Raducanu has not made it past the second round of a Grand Slam since winning at Flushing Meadows and has received her fair share of criticism, but said she is happy to be fit and ready to compete again.

“It’s nice not to have three casts on you,” she added. “So just get moving and take a shower, [doing] anything you really enjoy, being able to do your own hair, stuff like that.

“I’m just happy to come back and play.”

The Auckland Classic begins on Monday.