Emma Raducanu provided a fascinating serving masterclass for her army of fans around the world, but they were also concerned to notice a fresh injury worry. Raducanu pulled out of the Miami Open with a back injury that was quickly described as “nothing serious” by her representatives.
The 21-year-old, who was given a wild card for the prestigious WTA tournament, was set to play China’s Wang Xiyu in the first round but returned back to the UK to ensure she did not aggravate her back problem. It was another blow for Raducanu in her attempts to get back to full fitness after she missed a large part of 2023 after undergoing surgery on both wrists and her ankle.
Raducanu is due to play for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup this weekend, but there may be some concern with the bandage around her calf as she provided some versing tips on an LTA social media post. The 2021 US Open champion gave an insight into her mindset as she approached her serve and was wearing Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup kit as she recorded the film.
A serving masterclass from @EmmaRaducanu 🎯
Top insight into serve techniques & their execution 💭 pic.twitter.com/a6LEhhTYtk
— LTA (@the_LTA) April 7, 2024
Now all eyes will be on Raducanu as she prepares to make only her second appearance for Great Britain in a tie against France. The youngster has played just 11 matches on the WTA Tour and in the Billie Jean King Cup on clay and another LTA video showed her practising her sliding on the surface while training on the indoor court at the National Tennis Centre in London.
“I do love moving on clay, sliding, I find it very fun. It’s interesting, I think it’s different,” says Raducanu. “It’s not necessarily the surface that I’m most comfortable on or my most preferred surface but it’s something that I enjoy the challenge of.” The spotlight of the tennis world has been on Radcanu since her remarkable US Open win two-and-a-half years ago, with her lack of wins on the court sparking a wave of negativity towards a player who has the potential to be a a champion all over again.
Yet nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova has suggested the pressure of being a Grand Slam champion puts an unrealistic burden of expectation on a player who is still relatively inexperienced at the top level of the game. “It wasn’t a fluke because Emma has got that level. It wasn’t just she played great tennis and then all of a sudden she can’t play, but the pressure that’s been on her since then – particularly being a Brit – you can’t get away from it.
“It’s a big burden to carry, but hopefully she’ll get back to it and most of all she needs to get healthy and stay healthy – and, that way, you can build on that. “It’s hard to build any confidence and momentum from winning because you don’t stay healthy enough to win. It’s a nasty Catch 22 where you can win with confidence but you can’t have confidence without winning. “Hopefully she’ll get healthy and stay healthy so we’ll see her talent again.”
Fran Jones has been added to the Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team travelling to France, with Anne Keothavong’s team aiming to reverse a tight defeat against the same opposition a year ago. Raducanu is travelling to France with the team, so it appears the strapping on her leg is not a serious issue.
