Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu says the resilience she has shown during what has been a roller-coaster season is the thing she is the proudest of.
The 19-year-old has endured a difficult year on the Tour which has been marred by injury and disappointing results. Raducanu has suffered from blisters, a side strain, hip pain and back problems before being forced to pull out of the season-ending Billie Jean King Cup finals in Glasgow due to a wrist injury.
After becoming the first British woman in 44 years to win a major title at the 2021 US Open, Raducanu has found it tough going on the Tour. She has won 17 out of 35 matches played in 2022 with her best tournament result being a run to the semi-finals of the Korean Open before retiring injured from her match against Jelena Ostapenko. She also reached the quarter-finals of the Citi Open in Washington and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Reflecting on the past 12 months during an interview with Sheerluxe magazine, Raducanu says she has had to contend with a lot of false information that has been published about her. Although she didn’t go into detail about what has been said.
“I’m very proud of my resilience this year. I’ve faced quite a bit of adversity and I’ve had to keep getting back up a lot,” she said.
“So much stuff is said about me that isn’t true, but I try not to let it affect me.’
“The past year has meant getting used to that side of things – the publicity and hearing all these things I never even knew about myself! The attention on the tour is so intense.”
After losing in the first round of this year’s US Open, the youngster has dropped down the WTA rankings and is currently ranked 76th in the world. Just five months ago she was in the 10th position. Although she remains the top British player on the women’s Tour.
Looking ahead to 2023, Raducanu’s biggest priority is her health after all the problems she has already encountered at a young age. Over the past two months, she has put more focus on her gym work to build up her physicality.
“My biggest goal in 2023 is to be more injury free. I just want to stay healthier for longer,” she stated.
“This year, the demands of the tour, going from having no training or stamina to being thrown into competing at the top level, my body has struggled. So, I’ll be working hard to keep my body in good shape and improving.’
“If you want a ‘resolution’ it’s probably to be consistent. Put in the work, day in, day out.”
Raducanu will return to action later this week by playing an exhibition match against Ons Jabeur at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. She will then begin her season in New Zealand at the ASB Classic after opting not to play in the inaugural United Cup.
