Emma Raducanu is confident she can return to the top of the women’s game after undergoing triple surgery.
The 21-year-old only came back to competitive action last week following more than eight months out after surgery on both her wrists and an ankle.
She pulled out of two exhibition matches in Melbourne this week ahead of the Australian Open, raising fears of a setback in her rehabilitation.
But after two lengthy practice sessions over the last two days, she declared herself fully fit and targeting a return to the sort of form which saw her crowned US Open champion back in 2021.
"Physically I feel good," she said speaking to reporters today "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 know my level is there, I just need to keep working on it to make it more consistent. I think that will come with time in the gym, time on court, being able to play the calendar, not thinking about, 'Will I have to pull out from this one? Does that hurt?'
"I think my level, to be honest, is just too good not to come through if I put consistent work together."
Raducanu is currently ranked 299th in the world after her standing tumbled in her absence from the tour, and snuck into the main draw of the Australian Open by virtue of her pre-surgery protected ranking.
In the opening round, she faces American Shelby Rogers, who is also returning from injury, and the Briton sees the Australian Open as something of a building block for the rest of 2024.
She said: "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.
"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.”
