Former US Open winner Emma Raducanu is not far from returning to the courts. After missing three of the four Grand Slams this year following wrist and ankle surgeries, the 20-year-old said she is aiming for a return next season after dropping out of the world’s top 200.

Raducanu, who won his first Grand Slam title in New York in 2021, aged just 18, has not played since April, missing the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open and falling to 214th in the rankings.

The Briton said she returned to training in August following surgery on her wrists and ankle. “I will come back next season,” she told the BBC. “It was tough watching the Grand Slams go by one after the other, but I tried to stay in my corner as much as possible and focus on my recovery.”

Raducanu has not progressed past the second round of a Grand Slam since his triumph at Flushing Meadows and has been the subject of his share of criticism. “The fact that I’m still being talked about even though I’m not at these events is just a compliment,” the former world number 10 said. “Someone said to me, ‘Worry when people don’t talk about you.’ Wimbledon is the dream and always was growing up. It’s always the ultimate dream to win Wimbledon,” she added.

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