Emma Raducanu is ready to roar as she feels "too good" in the Australian Open 2024

Emma Raducanu believes she can get back to the top of the game if she can stay fit. Triple surgery on both wrists and one ankle put the former British number one off the tour for eight months, but she made her comeback in Auckland last week. The 21-year-old will play a Grand Slam match for the first time in a year when she takes on Shelby Rodgers in the opening round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. She said, Physically I feel good. I did a lot of good work in the off-season. But I think that, regardless of how good I may feel on the court on a particular day or in practice, I think to get that level of consistency is going to require more time. I've been doing the right work, doing it consistently. I just need to keep going more and more. But I feel good on court and in the gym. Raducanu defeated Rodgers on her way to winning the US Open in 2021, but the American has an impressive 26 wins over top 20 players, although she has not played since Wimbledon 2023 due to injury. Despite pulling out of two exhibition matches this week with soreness following a long practice session, any fears about her participation in Melbourne have since been allayed. Raducanu is currently ranked at 299, due in part to her large break, although she can enter tournaments using her protected ranking from before surgery of 103. I think success to me in the long term is, for the rest of the year, to play a full season, to be healthy throughout, to be able to train consistent weeks, she said. I think my level, to be honest, is just too good not to come through, if I put consistent work together.