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Emma Raducanu took a moment to reflect and express her gratitude for how she was received at the Australian Open as the 21-year-old Briton is in great spirits and excited about her next challenges.
Sidelined for eight months due to multiple surgeries, Raducanu kicked off her comeback in New Zealand, where she made the Auckland round-of-16 in her first tournament back. After Auckland, Raducanu went to Melbourne to participate in the opening Grand Slam tournament of the year.
At Melbourne Park, Raducanu received a pretty warm reception as many came out to show their support to the Briton following her post-surgery return. In Melbourne, Raducanu started her third Australian Open with a convincing 6-3 6-2 win over Shelby Rogers before suffering a surprise 6-4 4-6 6-4 loss to Wang Yafan in the next match.
In both matches, Raducanu received pretty strong support from the crowd. Although Raducanu didn't make an impressive Australian Open result, she still left Australia feeling great and that's huge for the 2021 US Open champion.
"Back training in Great Britain but flicking through some cool photos and remembering the incredible support in Australia. Love to be back in action and excited to keep going," Raducanu wrote on Instagram.
Raducanu plays again in 10 days
In early January, the Abu Dhabi Open organizers announced that Raducanu accepted a main draw wildcard into the tournament. When the Abu Dhabi Open kicks off on February 5th, Raducanu will be making her debut appearance at the tournament.
While Raducanu is set to debut at the WTA tournament in Abu Dhabi, it won't be the first time that she is competing in Abu Dhabi. In late 2022, Raducanu played an exhibition match against Ons Jabeur.
When Raducanu returns to Abu Dhabi in early February, she will be there for her third comeback tournament. In Abu Dhabi, Raducanu could face some big-time names as Elena Rybakina, Naomi Osaka, and Ons Jabeur are some of the names that are set to compete in the United Arab Emirates.
For Raducanu, clinching a few notable wins in Abu Dhabi and making a strong run could do big things for her confidence levels.