2021 US Open champ Emma Raducanu, the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since 1977, has said she feels "reborn" as she prepares to make her return at the Auckland Classic after an eight-month injury hiatus.
Raducanu has long struggled with injuries and left last year's tournament after rolling her ankle in a second round match. The 21-year-old underwent surgery in her left ankle and both hands in May, and has not played since.
Of her recovery, she told a news conference, "Yeah, I feel reborn in a way. I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy, I feel excited."
"It's nice not to have three casts on you. So just moving around and showering, everything you really appreciate, being able to do your own hair, stuff like that. I'm just happy to be back playing."
She returns to Auckland with a protected ranking, having slipped down to World No. 298 from a high of World No. 10 in July 2022.
However, she'll have to go through the qualifying event to progress to the Main Draw of the Australian Open – surely hoping to repeat her feat at Flushing Meadows in 2021, when she became the first player in the Open Era to win a major through the qualifying stage.
"Overall, I'm feeling positive and a bit lighter," said Raducanu. "I think that for two years after the U.S. Open I felt maybe a bit more weight on my shoulders, but now I feel completely fresh."
