As the tour enters the most important point of the clay-court swing, Emma Raducanu just began practicing on grass courts ahead of her planned return in June.
The British tennis star has been out of action since late May when she was beaten by Maria Carle in the first round of the 2024 Madrid Open. She did not receive a wild card to compete in the main draw of the Italian Open.
Raducanu turned her attention to Strasbourg, which, in its first year as a WTA 500 tournament, had attracted a strong pool of top tennis talent. But the former US Open champion withdrew ahead of schedule.
It was expected that Raducanu might have withdrawn from Strasbourg to play in the Roland Garros qualifying tournament. That decision also came against the backdrop of a wild card snub for the main draw by the French Open organizers.
However, on the eve of qualifying commencement, the 21-year-old pulled out and chose to channel her focus on the grass-court swing. She returned to the UK and swiftly began practicing on the lawns earlier than her peers, who are still playing in Paris.
Home tournaments did not waste time assigning main draw wild cards to Raducanu as she plots a comeback on grass. After being granted a wild card, the Nottingham Open, which begins on June 10th, is expected to be her first grass-court tournament in two years.
Then, the Eastbourne International, a more prestigious event classified as part of the WTA 500 category, followed suit and invited the former World No. 10 for this year's tournament.
Because Raducanu's ranking has dipped outside the Top 200, she doesn't warrant automatic main draw entry and will rely on wild cards or use a special ranking.
In a recent update she shared on Instagram, she can be seen practicing on the grass with a sparring partner before working out at the gym. Although Raducanu has overcome injury concerns this season, there has not been a productive return in terms of results, with just nine wins in 16 matches.
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