Emma Raducanu has officially confirmed her return to competitive tennis at the upcoming Hong Kong Open later this month, marking a pivotal moment in her 2024 season. The 2021 US Open champion has been sidelined since her participation in the Korea Open WTA 250 event last month, where she suffered a foot injury, spraining ligaments during her quarter-final clash against Daria Kasatkina. Despite showing promise in that tournament, with victories over Peyton Stearns and Yuan Yue, the injury forced her to retire after the first set of her match with Kasatkina, halting what could have been a strong run.
For Raducanu, this injury has been another frustrating setback in a year full of challenges as she has struggled to regain the form that saw her capture the world’s attention in 2021. The 21-year-old British player had initially planned to make a significant impact during the Asian swing of the WTA Tour, with a packed schedule across several tournaments in China. However, her foot injury forced her to miss four key events, further delaying her progress in what has been a stop-start year.
Raducanu’s withdrawal from major tournaments like the China Open and the Wuhan Open—both prestigious WTA 1000 events where she was set to enter the qualifying draws—was a particularly bitter blow. These tournaments offer vital ranking points and opportunities to face some of the best players in the world. She also had to pull out of the WTA 500 Ningbo Open and the WTA 250 Guangzhou Open, which were next on her schedule. Missing these events deprived her of valuable match practice and the chance to build on the momentum she had been hoping to gain in Asia.
Despite the setbacks, Raducanu has shown remarkable resilience and optimism, sharing a video on social media where she confirmed her long-awaited return. In the video, she announced her debut at the WTA 250 event in Hong Kong, set to take place from October 28 to November 3 at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium.
“Hello everyone, it’s Emma Raducanu here,” she said in the video. “I really cannot wait to come and play the Prudential Women’s Hong Kong Open. It’s my first time playing the WTA event there, but I was there in December last year and I really loved the city. So I’m very much looking forward to coming, and I hope to see you all there in October.”
The Hong Kong Open will be a critical tournament for Raducanu as she looks to not only regain match fitness but also push herself back up the rankings. The event, now in its 11th edition, has always been an exciting fixture on the WTA Tour, and Raducanu’s participation is sure to draw considerable attention from fans and pundits alike.
The tournament’s field is expected to be highly competitive, with top seeds including Danielle Collins, Diana Shnaider, Magdalena Frech, and last year’s champion, Leylah Fernandez. Other notable players such as Katie Boulter, Wang Xinyu, Katerina Siniakova, and Lulu Sun will also be vying for the title. Additionally, former world No. 1s and Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep have received wildcards for the event, adding even more star power to the draw.
Raducanu will be looking to re-establish herself in this competitive environment after a difficult year that began with her ranked 301st in the world, a significant drop from her career-high ranking of No. 10. The fall in rankings was primarily due to the significant time she missed during the 2023 season, which saw her undergo surgeries on both her wrists and ankle. The surgeries required a lengthy recovery period, sidelining her for much of the season and forcing her to rebuild from scratch in 2024.
Since returning to the court earlier this year, Raducanu has played a relatively light schedule, competing in 14 tournaments with a 20-13 win-loss record, including two victories in the Billie Jean King Cup. While her performances have been mixed, Raducanu has shown flashes of the brilliance that made her a global sensation during her US Open run in 2021. However, she has yet to find the consistent form needed to make deep runs in tournaments, and her ongoing battle with injuries has complicated her efforts.
Her return in Hong Kong represents an opportunity to restart her season in earnest. With the season nearing its conclusion, Raducanu will be aiming to finish on a high note, potentially using the Hong Kong Open as a springboard to gain some late-season momentum. If she can remain injury-free, a strong showing at this tournament could help rebuild her confidence and put her back on the right track ahead of the 2025 season.
However, the path to success will not be easy, given the strength of the field and the unpredictable nature of Raducanu’s form after a month-long absence. Moreover, the Hong Kong Open comes just weeks before the prestigious WTA Finals, a season-ending event reserved for the top players in the world. While Raducanu won’t be in contention for the Finals this year, the tournament in Hong Kong will offer her the chance to compete against elite-level players, providing a valuable litmus test of where she stands among her peers.
As Raducanu returns to action, her fans will undoubtedly be eager to see how she performs and whether she can overcome her injury woes to make a late surge in 2024. Her ability to compete at the highest level has never been in question, but the challenge now lies in managing her physical fitness and rediscovering the consistency that could propel her back into the upper echelons of women’s tennis.
With her confirmed participation at the Hong Kong Open, all eyes will be on Raducanu as she embarks on the next phase of her journey—a journey that, despite its ups and downs, continues to captivate the tennis world.