Emma Raducanu has not played since April following surgery on her wrists and ankle; Brit pulls out of December exhibition in Macau; Raducanu has stepped up her training in recent weeks at the National Tennis Centre in London
Tuesday 14 November 2023 16:38, UK
Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from a December exhibition in China as she continues to recover from surgery.
The Briton, 21, has not played since April after undergoing operations on her wrists and ankle and has dropped to 289 in the rankings.
Having initially hoped to return to the WTA Tour in the autumn, Raducanu then set her sights on the exhibition Macau Tennis Masters event from December 2-3.
But organisers confirmed their line-up has changed because of injury, with Raducanu no longer among the players on show.
Raducanu will be able to use a protected ranking of 103 next year as she has been out of action for over six months and that could earn her a place in the main draw of the Australian Open in January.
The 2021 US Open champion has not gone past the second round of a Grand Slam since her victory at Flushing Meadows.
But she has stepped up her training in recent weeks at the National Tennis Centre in London both in the gym and on court, and spoke last month of her enthusiasm for returning to the circuit.
"I think the biggest thing from the last few months was how much I missed the sport," she told BBC Radio 4.
"I think that was the standout thing - how much I missed training, how much I missed my body hurting and feeling tired and dragging yourself through certain exercises when you don't feel like it."
Raducanu remains without a coach having split from Sebastian Sachs at the beginning of June and is currently working with Lawn Tennis Association staff.
Her last match was a straight-sets defeat to Jelena Ostapenko at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart in April.
