Emma Raducanu is ready for her comeback as she kicks off her grass-court season at the Nottingham Open. The young tennis star, who hasn’t played since falling in the first round of the Madrid Open in April, skipped the French Open in order to concentrate on her fitness.
After undergoing ankle and wrist surgery a year ago, she is now lined up to face Ena Shibahara of Japan in the Nottingham first round. She declared: “Body-wise, physical-wise, I feel really healthy. I feel really strong.”
“I’ve done amazing work with my trainer over the last few months, since surgery. I’m in a really fit place. I think my wrists are actually in a better position than they ever were.” she added.
On her recovery journey
In May last year, Raducanu underwent surgery on her ankle and right wrist. Her left wrist underwent additional surgery after that. She acknowledged that she had to rest; in order to get around, she had to use a mobility scooter.
With her recovery, Raducanu said: “I think it’s very easy for me to lose sight of where I was exactly a year ago … You get so caught up in your own world that you want more and more and more. But a year ago I was on a scooter scooting around and I didn’t know – there was an element of doubt… To be healthy and to be here, I need to cherish it.”
Emma Raducanu claims to have “rekindled” her passion for tennis and is full of anticipation for what lies ahead.
“I’m very happy to have rekindled the love for tennis and just enjoying the challenges that come with it and not getting so down about it, just trying a way to get around,” the athlete declared.
The British youngster, who lost badly to Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle in the Madrid Open first round, claimed to be “mentally and emotionally exhausted” after her recent matches. After a season marred by injuries in 2023, she decided to skip the French Open in order to be properly prepared for the grass-court season.
Earlier this month, Raducanu made her competitive comeback at the Nottingham Open, where she achieved a satisfying run to the semi-finals.
What’s next for Raducanu?
With her upcoming battle against fellow former US Open champion Sloane Stephens on Tuesday at Eastbourne, Raducanu will continue her preparations for the start of Wimbledon next week.
Raducanu said: “I’m just really grateful to have this feeling again because it’s something that I feel like I’ve been missing in a way for the last few years, and I haven’t felt this good about my tennis and excited about it and passionate for a long, long time.”
“I really feel like I’m in a lot better spirits on and off the court,” she added.
After undergoing wrist and ankle surgery last season, Raducanu, the former British number one, is currently ranked 168th in the world.
British tennis sensation and the surprise 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu has come a long way down. She is currently ranked 133rd in the world following hand and ankle surgeries. “I’ve been very high and very low,” as she told The Times. But a comeback is definitely on the cards.
Recently photographed working out in a gym, she said on her Instagram that it was ‘nice to be reintroduced’ to the equipment after several months away from physical exertion due to her injuries.
She was forced to sit out the French Open and Wimbledon after surgery on her hands and her ankle.
She had been ailing earlier, too. But, despite suffering from ailments, she won five out of 10 matches in 2023, including an amazing run to the BNP Paribas Open fourth round at Indian Wells, where she lost to defending champion Iga Swiatek in March.
Raducanu’s spirit remained unbroken despite a difficult defeat against Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April.
However, she was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open later in April due to an injury on her right hand. That’s when she decided on surgery.
“I tried my best to manage my pain and play through it”, but she couldn’t any more, she said, speaking from her hospital bed in May.
She missed most of the clay and grass court seasons due to injuries, which caused her ranking to slip to 133rd. She also split with her coach, Sebastian Sachs, which added to the difficulties. Nevertheless, she is optimistic about the future.
Emma Raducanu now at what stage of recovery?
The stubborn 20-year-old tennis star is recovering well. Her engrossing films demonstrate how she uses red light treatment to promote muscle repair and lessen inflammation while she trains assiduously.
Here’s a look back at her recent record.
Tournament
Result
Opponent
Citi Open (Quarter-finals)
(August 2022)
Lost 7-6, 6-1
Liudmila Samsonova
Canadian Open (1st Round) (August 2022)
Lost 7-6, 6-2
Camila Giorgi
Western & Southern Open (August 2022)
Defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 6-4
Serena Williams
Defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5
Victoria Azarenka
Lost to Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4
Jessica Pegula
Now she is hoping to do better and wow the world again on the WTA tour though she is likely to miss the US Open.
Emma Raducanu’s agent, Max Eisenbud, expects her to win more Grand Slams.
Speaking to The Tennis Podcast, he said: “You don’t just accidentally win the US Open the way she did, you have to be great to do what she did.
“And I think she will settle and things will get more calm for her and I think she’ll make more deep runs and I think that she’ll win more Grand Slams when it’s all said and done.”
He added: “Do I think that she will be in the top five of the world for 20 years?
“I don’t think so, I don’t think she’s that, but I think she will win more Grand Slams, I think she will compete to be in the top when things settle down.”
Tennis legend Billie Jean King still marvels at the way Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open.
“When Emma Raducanu won, it was fantastic,” she told Sky Sports. “Just think about this, she won 10 matches in a row, she did not lose a set. She won every single one of those 10 matches in straight sets. I don’t think anyone comes close to that.
“As she gets older, no matter what happens to her life she’ll always have this US Open title – always and forever. And the way she did it: Wow! It’s amazing.”
Emma Raducanu quits the French Open qualification to concentrate on her athletic fitness
Emma Raducanu decided to concentrate on improving her fitness instead of competing in this year’s French Open qualification.
She had to go through the qualifiers because her ranking was insufficient to grant her direct entry into the competition and she was not given a wildcard. The Briton withdrew before new matches were scheduled to begin, even though she had originally been agreed to compete in the qualifying draw.
Soeaking to Times tennis journalist Stuart Fraser. Raducanu says,“It’s important for me to keep laying on the foundations and I will use the time to do a healthy block before the grass and subsequent hard court seasons to give myself a chance to keep fit for the rest of the year.”
Since being defeated in the first round of the Madrid Open by Maria Lourdes Carle, Raducanu has not taken part in a competitive match yet again.
Improving athletic fitness
After leading Great Britain to victory over France in the Billie Jean King Cup, she had such a great start to the clay-court season. However, the straight-sets loss was another shattering blow to her confidence. Despite the recent playing outcomes, she declared, “Tennis-wise I have improved because I feel like I am playing the best tennis of my career and my life.”
Raducanu has struggled with consistency and fitness since her remarkable victory at the 2021 US Open at the age of 18, and she has failed to advance past the second round of a grand slam.
She had surgery in May 2023 on both wrists and one ankle, and she missed Wimbledon and the French Open that same year in order to heal.
Still ranked 212th in the world, she had intended to use this season to regain her playing form. The main draw of the French Open will begin on May 26. Raducanu is still listed as the third alternate, so if three players cancel, she might still be able to compete.
Having recovered from her injuries, Emma Raducanu is now ready for the next tennis season and believes that she is a ‘dangerous player’ to look out for.
The young athlete has made a spectacular comeback to the court at the Billie Jean King Cup, enabling Great Britain to advance to the semi-finals, after missing two months due to a foot injury.
Raducanu has been playing well at the event, defeating Canadian Rebecca Marino and German Jule Niemeier in straight sets. As she made a triumphant comeback, she also pondered on her current standing on the WTA. She admitted: “My assessment is, I think sometimes I need reminding, I’m top 60 in the world and I have played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of, in a way.”
She added: “I have to pat myself on the back for that. I know I’m a dangerous player. I know no one wants to pull my name in the draw…. I take pride in that, and I’m looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year.”
Preparing for the 2025 season
With the Australian Open less than two months away, the 22-year-old player wants to maintain her momentum and adapt it to her 2025 season preparation rather than taking a break after the BJK Cup.
Raducanu said: “I think traditionally you’d probably have a bit of a break and take a holiday or something… But I feel like I have had four, five weeks off tennis, and I don’t really need any more time off.
“If anything, I’m excited and just itchy to get on the practice court, and of course, seeing some of my performances this week, it just incentivises me to do more work… I’m really pleased with how I fought and how I’m faring up against these top girls [at the BJK Cup]… I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot with my tennis right now,” she added.
British tennis player Emma Raducanu is keen to play as many games as she can in the last weeks of the 2024 season.
At the Korea Open this week, the 21-year-old is participating in just her third tournament following her defeat in the fourth round of Wimbledon. In her recent match, she overcame American Peyton Stearns in the opening round.
The former US Open champion has acknowledged that she made mistakes with her summer programme and that she would want to play as many matches as possible in Asia, where she feels most comfortable.
Raducanu’s 2024 playing season
Raducanu only played in Washington before the US Open, having opted to skip the Olympics earlier this summer in order to concentrate on the hard-court swing in North America. After losing to Sofia Kenin in the first round, the former Flushing Meadows champion broke down in tears and admitted she should have played more.
Now that she will be competing in two Asian events—the Wuhan Open next month and the China Open starting on September 25—Raducanu is trying to make up for the missed plays.
The athlete admitted: “I think the rest of the year, as long as I’m healthy, I’m going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can.”
She added: “It’s something I’m really light on since the grass through the [Washington] DC period. I’ve not played many points, even in practice…. So as gruelling as [the match against Stearns] was, I think I had three hours of match experience which can only aid me going into the next few weeks…For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can.”
Raducanu’s Asian foray
Raducanu, who has been eager to play in Asia again after missing the majority of the previous season due to surgery on both wrists and one ankle, will take on eighth-seeded Yue Yuan in the second round.
The athlete has a great chance to improve on her current position of 70th in the world over the next several weeks as she has no ranking points to defend.
With her upcoming games, she declared: “Playing in China, I’ve never done that, so that’s going to be a first for me. I feel pretty comfortable in this environment, which is an advantage…. I stacked the year on the back-end heavy because I’m excited. I thrive in Asia.”
