Emma Raducanu to Return at Strasbourg with Wildcard
British number one Emma Raducanu is set to return to competitive tennis at the Strasbourg clay-court event after being granted a wildcard entry. This marks her first tournament appearance in over two months as she aims to gain match practice ahead of the French Open.
Raducanu, aged 23, withdrew from the Italian Open earlier in May due to health reasons and has not played since her third-round defeat to American Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells on 8 March.
The Strasbourg tournament begins on Sunday, one week before the French Open starts on 24 May. Raducanu will likely miss out on a seeded position at the second Grand Slam of the year following a post-viral infection that has sidelined her from the tour.
Currently ranked 30th in the world, the 2021 US Open champion is expected to drop several places in the rankings after this week's tournaments in Rome and Paris conclude.
Last year, Raducanu also received a wildcard for the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg, where she defeated top-20 player Daria Kasatkina before losing to American Danielle Collins.
This season, Raducanu has won seven of her 14 matches, including four victories during her run to the final of the Transylvania Open in February, following a second-round exit at the Australian Open.
Despite speaking to the media just 30 minutes before her withdrawal from the Italian Open was announced, Raducanu did not indicate she would pull out at that time. She emphasized her cautious approach to returning to competition, stating:
"I only want to return to competition when 100% ready."
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