Emma Raducanu believes she is on the right trajectory for her age as she plays down concerns about her recent results on the Tour.
The British tennis sensation rose to the limelight last year by staging a remarkable run at the US Open where she won 10 matches in a row without dropping a set to become the first qualifier in history to win a major title. Raducanu’s triumph occurred in what was only her second main draw appearance in a major and just three months after she made her debut on the WTA Tour.
However, since New York life on the Tour has been a rollercoaster for Raducanu who is yet to play in another final. So far this year, she has recorded nine wins against 12 losses and has only managed to win back-to-back matches in two out of 11 tournaments played.
“The results I’ve had in the past year wouldn’t have been terrible for any 18-, 19-year-old. I have to take a step back and give myself a pat on the back, as well,” the teenager told reporters in Washington.
Raducanu now faces the extra pressure over the coming weeks of trying to defend her US Open title, as well as the points that come with it. Should she lose in the early rounds, she faced the prospect of a big drop in the rankings. Although Raducanu insists that her focus is getting used to life as a full-time player.
“This year was always going to be pretty tricky, trying to find my feet at this sort of level,” she said. “I skipped every stage basically. I went from playing a few [ITF] 25s to playing the Top 10 [in WTA 250s, 500s and 1000s], playing the slams and everything. Still managed to win a round or two in some bigger events. I’m quite proud of myself in that way.’
“I’ve learnt that I’m pretty resilient. I’ve pretty much been knocked down every single week literally in front of everyone, get back up every single time.
“It’s just a fun learning experience for me.”
Part of that learning experience has included a training stint with Dimitry Tursunov. A former top 20 ATP player who has previously worked with the likes of Anett Kontaveit and Aryna Sabalenka. However, their collaboration is on a trial basis and Tursunov has pre-existing commitments in the near future.
Raducanu is the second seed at this week’s Citi Open. She will play America’s Louisa Chirico in the first round.
