<!–
–>
The star-studded line-up for Emma Raducanu’s comeback event has been confirmed, with the countdown now on for the return of the 2021 US Open champion.
Raducanu has not played a competitive match since a comprehensive defeat against Jelena Ostapenko in a WTA Tour event in Stuttgart last April.
Since then, she has undergone surgery on both wrists and her ankle in a bid to resolve long-standing injury problems.
After six months away from the game, she is on the comeback trail and has been stepping up her intensity levels on the court, with her progress being followed by fans on her Instagram feed.
Now it has been confirmed that Raducanu aims to make her comeback at the Macau Tennis Masters exhibition event in the opening week of December.
The tournament is hosted by IMG, who look after Raducanu’s lucrative commercial contracts, with star names confirmed to be on the entry list alongside the young Brit.
“The two-day indoor hard court mixed event will bring some of the top tennis players in the world to Macau, including four ATP players and two WTA players,” reads an entry on the tournament’s official website.
“The star-studded lineup features Olympic gold medalist and Swiss sensation Belinda Bencic, American powerhouses Taylor Fritz, who broke into the world’s top five this year and Frances Tiafoe, who is among the world’s top 10, rising star Emma Raducanu, and Yibing Wu, the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title and shine on the international stage.”
Raducanu’s singles match is due to take place on December 3, with the British star set to be 21 by the time she next takes to the court.
There may still be some fitness hurdles for Raducanu to leap over before her comeback takes place in Macau, but a shaft of light appears to be emerging at the end of her comeback story.
Raducanu’s hopes of a return to the top have been given an endorsement by the player she beat in the 2021 US Open final, with Canada’s Leylah Fernandez offering words of support for her rival.
“Well, 2021 was a special tournament for both of us, we both did extraordinary things not many people get to experience,” said Fernandez, in quotes appearing in the South China Morning Post.
“I was able to beat a couple of top-10 players, ex-champions. Emma, she came through the qualifying, so we both had to go through some difficulties and afterwards, I think it was hard on both of us adjusting to the new life.
“But at least for me, I tried to surround myself with a great group of people.
“I know Emma is working hard, I know she is hungry, she has something to prove, so I’m sure she’s going to come back and play some great tennis.
“Hopefully we do see her because she is great for the sport. She has got something special for the WTA and for women’s tennis.
“Hopefully we can both compete at the highest level once again side by side.”
Raducanu’s army of fans will now be hoping there are no more injury setbacks one of the brightest stars in tennis, as she eyes up a return to the WTA Tour in 2024.
READ MORE: Leylah Fernandez sends a message to Emma Raducanu as she makes an honest confession
<!–
–>