Emma Raducanu comes out swinging… as the US Open champion returns to the practice courts in a bid to put her injury woes behind her and make the start line at Wimbledon
- Emma Raducanu has had a frustrating first half of the year with injuries
- She recently suffered a side strain and had to pull out of the Nottingham Open
- Her latest injury put her participation at Wimbledon in serious doubt
- However, she is back practicing, and is desperate to play at SW19 this year
Emma Raducanu has raised hopes she will be fit to play Wimbledon by returning to practice at the All England Club.
The US Open champion has spent the last two days sparring with her hitting partner, American pro Raymond Sarmiento, as she seeks to build up her workload following an injury layoff.
Raducanu, who retired from her first-round match at the Nottingham Open two weeks ago, managed a couple of brief sessions late last week but is anxious not to aggravate the side strain she suffered there.
Emma Raducanu had to pull out of the Nottingham Open after suffering a side strain
It has been a difficult first half of the year for the Brit who has had several fitness issues
However, she is back out on the practice courts and hopes to compete at Wimbledon
She pulled out of the WTA tournament in Birmingham and did not go ahead with plans to enter Eastbourne.
At best she will have only seven competitive games on grass going into Wimbledon, but is desperate to make the start line for The Championships.
Unless there is a major setback in the next 48 hours she is likely to wait until shortly before Friday morning’s draw before making a decision.
One of Raducanu’s friends in the British game, Surrey’s Jodie Burrage, scored the best win of her career at Eastbourne on Monday after arriving at midnight the previous evening.
Jodie Burrage picked up an impressive win against Petra Markic on Monday
Burrage beat former world No 14 Petra Martic of Croatia 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to make the second round, in which she will play top seed Paula Badosa of Spain.
A frantic 24 hours saw her play at opposite ends of the country, travelling down from Yorkshire on Sunday after making the final of the $100,000 tournament in Ilkley.
‘It took me just over six hours to drive down,’ said GB No 5 Burrage, 23. ‘I was absolutely knackered. It had been a long week there so I slept well.’
Monday’s win will put her on the verge of making the world’s top 150.
‘I have taken a lot of confidence and belief from there and I’m riding that wave at the moment,’ said Burrage. ‘I can’t wait to play Badosa on the big court in front of that crowd.
‘The work I have been doing is paying off. I’m moving much better than I was and I’m really enjoying the grass.’
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