Emma Raducanu has elected to play in the upcoming Kooyong Classic, which serves as a warm-up exhibition tournament before the Australian Open.
The 2024 Koooyong Classic will run from January 10th to 12th and feature several ATP stars like Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, Karen Khachanov, Stan Wawrinka and Frances Tiafoe.
The tournament has not confirmed Raducanu's opponent in the women's edition at the Kooyong Classic. However, the Daily Mail is reporting that 16-year-old Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva is the likely opponent for the Brit.
The 21-year-old returned to tennis action for the first time since April 2023 at this week's ASB Classic in Auckland. Raducnau made a heartening start in her comeback tournament, winning her first match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
She came close to recording back-to-back wins but fell to Elina Svitolina in three sets after nearly three hours of court time in the subsequent round. There were fears that Raducanu might have picked up an injury in Auckland after she was spotted with a heavy strapping on her thigh.
But the former US Open champion showed no visible signs of discomfort. Her decision to play the Kooyong Classic is also an encouraging step in her comeback and allays fears that she might be playing with pain.
Raducanu had undergone three surgeries last May and missed the remainder of the second half of the season. Her major focus was getting adequate treatment, which delayed her comeback during the autumn.
Whether that decision will be vindicated remains to be seen, but she made an encouraging start this week. Raducanu was slated to play the Australian Open qualifiers next week, but that won't be the case after qualifying into the main draw, thanks to a high number of withdrawals.
The British tennis star had seen her ranking plummet considerably during her inactivity this past year and is currently outside the Top 200. But she had a Special Ranking of World No. 103, which ultimately proved sufficient to get her spot in Melbourne.
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