After going through a lot of tough struggles and unexpected injuries, Emma Raducanu is finally slated to make her comeback on one of the majors of the tennis calendar as she is set to play against Sofia Kenin in the first round of the US Open this season. Many fans are expecting the British star to set the tone for the rest of the campaign as she seeks to make a climb on the big stage heading into the final months of the year.

Ranked as high as world no. 10 back in July 2022, the Toronto-born British star has fallen from grace in the WTA Tour standings as she currently stands at world no. 71 as of the time of writing. This season has been quite a challenge for the right-hander, whose games have been often hampered by injuries and her form issues after that recent surgery.

Still, the US Open presents a chance for Emma Raducanu to finally establish her foot on the ground and get back on track to winning in the game. It has been a tough campaign for her so far, and it cannot be denied that a lot of fans are expecting her to win her first singles title of the year now more than ever.

A Chance to Get Back on Track

The farthest that Raducanu has got in any competition this year is at the semis in the Nottingham Open, where she fell to Katie Boulter in three sets. The 21-year-old also played in only two majors this year, ending in a second-round loss in the Australian Open and a Round of 16 exit in the recent Wimbledon.

Still, nothing is promised in the game of tennis, and injuries come unexpected often. This is why there is a lot of expectations as to how Raducanu will turn her struggles around and finally get a winning run in the US Open, which is also the same tournament where she made history in 2021 as she became the first British woman to win a major singles title in 44 years.

It is worth noting that Raducanu has played less than 30 matches this year and has passed up multiple chances to be active in favor of taking long rests. She even missed out on this year’s French Open despite being considered healthy to participate in the clay court major.

A Glimpse of Hope

Raducanu finished practicing in the US last week with the hopes of shrugging off her struggles and finally returning to her impressive form. The 2021 US Open remains the singles title that she has won due to injuries. She is still young, but one can say that Raducanu has a strong potential to even bring her game to the next level in the coming tournament.

“Even when I won the U.S. Open, I only played a few tournaments that year,” Raducanu said. “Yes, they were closer together, but I’m not in any big rush to play those. I think I’d rather target tournaments and play the tournaments that I’m entered in.”

It is also worth noting that Raducanu passed up a chance to play in the recently finished 2024 Paris Olympics. She did appear once in the North American hard-court swing to gauge her chances, only to lose in the third round in Washington. So far, battling against Sofia Kenin will be a true test of her form now more than ever. The United States star also has a mixed pace so far, not making any winning strides as much as Raducanu has seen this year.