Emma Raducanu is back to hitting tennis balls on the court, yet they are not the ones professionals use but rather kids' ones.
Raducanu has been away from the sport and the WTA Tour for a few months after undergoing triple surgery earlier this year. The Brit had to fix issues in both wrists and an ankle problem she picked up during the Australian summer, making it a very complicated undertaking.
Boris Becker highlighted that by explaining that these injuries could be career-threatening as all are complicated in their own right, let alone combined. As a fairly young player, Raducanu had better chances than most to make a full recovery, and so far, it's been going well.
She started working recently and is now back on a tennis court, hitting with kids' balls. There is a very clear reason for that, and it's to not overwhelm her wrists too much. The balls are lighter than the ones used on Tour, making the impact on her wrist lesser.
It shows a careful approach by Raducanu and her team, which is a good decision because she doesn't want to rush it. Getting back fully healthy has always been the goal, as she never specified a return date since the surgery.
She won't play at the US Open, for example, though many expect her to be ready in some capacity for the final stretch of the year. Whether she ultimately plays or not remains to be seen, but she signed up for some exhibition at the end of this calendar year.
Until she makes a change in her calendar, that remains the only upcoming event this year where she's set to appear. Outside of tennis, Raducanu enjoyed plenty of time away from the game, spending time in Greece not too long ago as well back home in London.