Emma Raducanu Set for Comeback in Auckland

The 2021 US Open champion may need to qualify or receive a wildcard for the Australian Open due to her current ranking.

Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, is set to make her comeback to the tennis tour in Auckland in the first week of January 2024, after a lengthy absence due to operations on both her wrists and an ankle.
Raducanu has a protected ranking of 103, which is currently too low for automatic entry into the Australian Open, meaning she may need to go through qualifying or receive a wildcard to compete.
Raducanu had hoped to play an exhibition event in Macau in December but withdrew as she was not sure she would be ready. She has been training with LTA staff at the National Tennis Centre in London.
Raducanu joins a line-up at the Auckland Classic that includes US Open champion Coco Gauff and former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, who is also making a comeback after a three-year hiatus.
If Raducanu does not need to qualify for the Australian Open, she could potentially play in WTA events in Hobart and Adelaide in the week before the Grand Slam, or play exhibition matches at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne.