Emma Raducanu’s return to tennis has finally been confirmed, having not played a competitive match since March.
It has been a long and arduous road to recovery for the British player, who has suffered with injury and illness throughout 2026.
However, never before has the latter been so bad, with a viral infection picked up in Romania seemingly stifling the entire first half of her campaign.
We expected to see her back in action over the last week, but Raducanu withdrew from the Italian Open at the eleventh hour.
While fans will remain cautious about getting too excited about this latest news, Emma Raducanu’s comeback remains officially confirmed for now.
Laura Robson reacts to Emma Raducanu’s wildcard at Strasbourg Open
It has been revealed that Raducanu will return to action in Strasbourg, having received a late wildcard into the main draw. The event begins later this week.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Laura Robson offered her reaction to this news, whilst also sharing what other WTA players have actually been saying about the 22-year-old.
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Another withdrawal for the 2021 US Open champion…
The pundit claimed: “I was chatting to quite a few players who were around in week one here, and they said, you know, she’s playing points in practice, she’s looking good, just maybe didn’t quite feel ready to play, you know, first round on the Wednesday here.
“So she went home, had a bit of time back on the practice courts at the National Centre, and clearly feels like now’s the time to get back on the match court, and you wouldn’t ever want to go into the second slam of the year having not played in a significant amount of time.
“So just to get that match-court practice back and that intensity back is going to be so important for her, so that she can turn up in Paris feeling completely ready and sharp.
“So, yeah, good news that it looks like she’s on the mend.”
Tim Henman on Emma Raducanu reuniting with old coach Andrew Richardson
This is not the only important piece of information that has emerged about the 2021 US Open champion.
After all, it was confirmed earlier this month that Raducanu would be working with her old coach Andrew Richardson once again, the man who helped guide her to that aforementioned Grand Slam triumph.
Henman, also chatting with Sky Sports, reacted: “Yeah, that’s right. I mean, I had a few messages with Andrew, and they obviously had a good time on the practice court in Spain and, you know, what lies ahead, who knows?
“But likewise, as I said with Jack, you know, the most important thing for Emma is that she’s 100% healthy.
Do you think Emma Raducanu’s stance is correct? 🤔
“There’s never any doubt about her ability, whether that’s technical or mental, but it’s really about having the physical resilience to be able to practice and then compete and build momentum. But when it’s so stop-start, she plays a few weeks, and then she’s away from the tour, whether it’s with injury or ill health, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to build that continuity.
“So I just really hope that she can be healthy, and if she has a period of time where she’s, you know, practising, competing, putting in the work, then the results will come.”
