Britain's Emma Raducanu is set to make a comeback at next week's Auckland Classic after recovering from ankle and wrist injuries.
Speaking ahead of her comeback, the former U.S. Open champion said she feels "reborn".
The 21-year-old missed majority of 2023 after operations on both wrists and an ankle but will return to the court in Auckland with a protected ranking a year after she bowed out of the tournament in tears having rolled her ankle during a second round match.
"Yeah, I feel reborn in a way. I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy and I feel excited," Raducanu told reporters on Saturday.
Raducanu is now ranked 298th in the world, having dropped from a career high number 10 in July 2022.
She didn’t get a wildcard for the Australian Open which starts on January 14 and will have to go through a similar path as her 2021 U.S. Open run, when she became the first player in the Open Era to secure a grand slam after coming through qualifying.
She also opened up about the expectations that followed her New York triumph.
"Overall, I'm feeling positive and lighter. I think that for two years after the U.S. Open I felt maybe a bit more weight on my shoulders, but now I feel completely fresh," Raducanu said.
Raducanu has not gone beyond the second round of a major since her Flushing Meadows triumph, which has led to criticism.
"It's nice not to have three casts on you," she added. "So just moving around and showering, (doing) everything you really appreciate, being able to do your own hair, stuff like that. I'm just happy to be back playing."
The Auckland Classic will start on Monday.