"I'm sure Emma Raducanu is going to come back and play some great tennis" - Leylah Fernandez

Leylah Fernandez recently discussed her colleague Emma Raducanu's prolonged absence from the WTA tour and expressed her hope that the Brit makes a strong comeback.

Raducanu has been out of action since April 2023 due to injury. Her most recent performance in competitive tennis came at the Stuttgart Open, where she was eliminated in the opening round by Jelena Ostapenko.

The Brit has since recovered and returned to the practice courts after going through some surgeries. She has also declared her wish to return to tennis and admitted that she missed the sport.

Leylah Fernandez, who recently won the Hong Kong Open, her first title in 19 months, reflected on her and Raducanu's journey since the 2021 US Open.

They both reached the final of the New York Slam that year, but it was the Brit who got the last laugh as she defeated the Canadian to win her maiden and only Major title to date.

Fernandez explained to the reporters that it was difficult for both of them to deal with the pressure that followed their heroics and said (quotes via South China Morning Post):

"Well, 2021 was a special tournament for both of us, we both did extraordinary things not many people get to experience. I was able to beat a couple of top-10 players, ex-champions. Emma, she came through the qualifying, so we both had to go through some difficulties, and afterwards, I think it was hard on both of us adjusting to the new life. But at least for me, I tried to surround myself with a great group of people."

The 21-year-old added that she hopes Emma Raducanu makes a strong comeback since she is 'great' for the sport. She also declared her desire to compete against the Brit at the 'highest level' again.

"I know Emma is working hard, I know she is hungry, she has something to prove, so I’m sure she’s going to come back and play some great tennis. Hopefully, we do see her because she is great for the sport. She has got something special for the WTA and for women’s tennis. Hopefully, we can both compete at the highest level once again side by side," Leylah Fernandez said.

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A brief look into Emma Raducanu's historic US Open 2021 title win

Emma Raducanu pictured with her US Open 2021 trophy

Emma Raducanu entered the 2021 US Open main draw after beating Bibiane Schoofs, Mariam Bolkvadze and Mayar Sherif in the qualifiers.

The Brit then overcame Stefanie Vogele, Zhang Shuai, Sara Sorribes Tormo, and Shelby Rogers in the first few rounds to make it to the quarterfinal, where she was up against Belinda Bencic.

To everyone's surprise, Raducanu, who was 18 years old then, defeated the Olympic gold medallist in straight sets before outfoxing Maria Sakkari in the semifinal and Leylah Fernandez in the final to win her first Grand Slam title.

Emma Raducanu's title win at Flushing Meadows created history as she became the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Major. What's more interesting is that she didn't even drop a set en route to the title glory.