Emma Raducanu has acknowledged that her “headspace” has been among the limiting factors affecting her performances since her stunning triumph at the 2021 US Open. Raducanu did not go into details about her mental evolution since the summer and autumn of 2021 – an exciting yet unsettling period which transformed her from everyday A-level student into global celebrity.
But in an interview with Amazon Prime, Raducanu said that her current six-month lay-off has left her feeling “in a better place to compete”. It was a clear indication of the inner struggles she has experienced over the past two seasons.
“In the beginning, it was quite sedentary,” said Raducanu of this year’s midsummer period, which she began with surgery on both wrists and one ankle in May. “But for the whole period I’ve been doing a lot off the court, just reading a lot. I feel like mentally I’m in a better place to compete now than I ever have been before, since the US Open.
“I’m hoping to get back on board for next season. I know it’s going to be difficult when you haven’t competed for a long time, like almost a year. It’s gonna probably take me some tournaments to get up to speed. But, once I do, I think I’m in a better headspace to compete now.”
If Raducanu found it challenging to adapt to her sudden fame, that is hardly surprising. She was only 18 when she won the US Open title in a sudden explosion of note-perfect tennis. There are times, she has since admitted, when she wishes that it never happened.
When Raducanu travelled to Indian Wells for her first event as a major champion, she was already struggling to adapt to her newfound recognisability, according to those who spoke to her. It was a short-lived relief to be in the Californian desert, where she could keep a relatively low profile.
To make life even more difficult, every other player on the tour was extremely motivated to beat her. And several have succeeded. Raducanu has recorded only 24 wins in the two years since she became the first qualifier in tennis history to lift a major title. Her defeats, meanwhile, number 28.
Over that same period, Raducanu’s WTA record shows a modest tally of four quarter-finals and a lone semi-final, while she has totted up an alarming range of injuries and niggles. Affected areas have included her back, hip, abdominals, ankle and both wrists. Although Raducanu’s ranking has dropped to No 284 – as a result of this latest period of inactivity – her fame and large social-media following should help her gain entry to tournaments via wild cards. Asked if she had watched the recent US Open, Raducanu replied “I didn’t. The feeling of walking onto the court is a bit close to home, so I stayed away from it.”
