Emma Raducanou returns to tennis after wrist and ankle surgery

Emma Radukanou has returned to training after surgery. Photo: Instagram.

Emma Radukanou returned to the training ground for the first time since her surgery. surgery three months ago.

Former US Open champion Radukanou, 20, has missed much of this season due to injury. She underwent surgery on both her wrists and ankle in early May in an attempt to cure her chronic physical ailments and is not expected to return to tour until autumn. on tennis balls, albeit soft, on the court.

“August 2, the fun part. First time on the court,» she wrote on social media, along with a video of herself hitting the ball over the net to British player Kyle Edmund, who had his own devastating knee injury in recent years, at the National Tennis Centre. /p>

August 2, INTERESTING PART. First time on court ♥️😆 pic.twitter.com/lnnspztXrz

— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) August 2, 2023

Raducanou has missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to her recovery and has only made 10 appearances this season, winning half of them. In June, she also parted ways with her trainer Sebastian Sachs, after less than six months together.

Due to the time she spent on the sidelines, she dropped to 133rd in the world rankings — far from reckless top 10 heights, where it peaked a year ago. She has a long way to go to get back there and is not expected to be ready for the US Open starting August 28.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray took his first Washington Open victory since tearfully dropping out of the tournament five years ago.

The 36-year-old Murray returned on Wednesday after losing 5-2 in the first set . defeat American Brandon Nakashima — a player 14 years younger than him — 7-6(5), 6-4. The win was his first since being knocked out of the second round of Wimbledon last month, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a close-fought five-set battle.

Big games. Major player 🗣️

The best of @andy_murray in his first round wins in Washington! pic.twitter.com/wjmfcFZkDx

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV), August 3, 2023

This is a far cry from 2018, when he openly cried on the court and was forced to pull out of the quarter-finals in part due to a severe hip injury.

“Yes, 2018 was a pretty tough year for me,” World No. 44 Murray said. “Mentally and physically. I was in a terrible place. To come back here five years later, when, you know, I didn't really want to play anymore… After that, I didn't get much pleasure. I won some great matches that week, but I felt terrible.

“I couldn't enjoy the wins because I couldn't sleep in the evenings after the matches because of my hip and stuff. It's nice to be back without any of those problems, pain free and still competing at a high level.»

The three-time title champion received a first round bye, so this victory is visible as he goes into the third round clash with top seed Taylor Fritz.