Raducanu withdraws from Macau exhibition match

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - WTA 500 - Stuttgart Open - Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - April 18, 2023 Britain's Emma Raducanu during her round of 32 match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo

Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has pulled out of a December exhibition match at the Macau Tennis Masters as she continues to recover from wrist and ankle surgery, her management company IMG said on Monday.

Raducanu was poised to return to action after her May surgeries but, on her 21st birthday, has decided to extend her time on the sidelines.

The Briton, who won her maiden Grand Slam title in New York as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, has not played since April, missing the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open while plummeting to number 289 in the world rankings.

Raducanu started light training in August and said she is targeting a comeback for next season.

The inaugural Grand Slam of the year kicks off in Australia on Jan. 15. REUTERS

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