When Emma Raducanu first returned to New York two years ago to defend her unprecedented 2021 US Open triumph from the qualifying rounds, things did not go as smoothly as she had hoped. A year of scrutiny and unwelcome pressure had taken its toll and, with her body so frail, it seemed an injury or ailment was always around the corner. Raducanu fell meekly in the first round without winning a set.
Having missed last year’s edition as she recovered from surgery, the 21-year-old returns to Flushing Meadows seemingly in a better position than since the aftermath of her victory.
“I feel very proud when I come here,” she says. “Walking past my photo every day. Walking past my name on the trophy every day. I think that is such an epic achievement and these two weeks, I completed it. I come back with such a different outlook. Just joy and pride and it inspires me to want to do more.”
Throughout this summer, the British No 2 has spoken about finding the joy in tennis again, which had been difficult for so long. The results she has compiled over the past four months back up those sentiments. Raducanu has reached the quarter-finals or better at four of her past six tour events, had a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon and a defining role in Great Britain’s win over France on clay in the Billie Jean King Cup. Now firmly back inside the world’s top 100, she is consistently playing quality tennis.
The pressing question surrounding Raducanu is how much she is willing to play and whether she is truly ready to commit to the grind that is required of players to become great. She declined an opportunity to compete at the Olympics to prioritise starting her US hard-court swing early and not having to worry about the form difficulties and injury risks that come with switching surfaces.
Despite the criticism she received for that decision, there was clear logic to scheduling cautiously after her injuries. While her peers were in Paris, Raducanu enjoyed another solid week at the Washington WTA 500 event, reaching the quarter-finals before losing an extremely tight three-set tussle to the in-form Paula Badosa.
However, the first week of the North American hard-court swing is the last time Raducanu has competed. After opting out of qualifying for the Montreal WTA 1000 event, she returned home, missing four weeks before returning to the US Open. Raducanu says she missed Montreal because of the quick turnaround required and she did not want to wait around to play in Cincinnati Open qualifying. She noted that she “has always done things a little differently” compared with other players.
“I mix and match,” she says. “I don’t think I will ever be the player who is playing close to 30 events a year. It is not my style – it never has been. When I was playing juniors even, I would just play a few tournaments, play the slams and go to school. I have always done it that way.
“Even when I won the US Open, I only played a few tournaments that year. Yes, they were closer together. I am not in any big rush to play loads. I would rather target tournaments and be ready to play the tournaments that I am entered in.”
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What is clear is that she will need to elevate her level even further after being handed a difficult draw in New York. Raducanu will begin against Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, who has struggled even more than Raducanu since becoming a major champion. After tumbling down the rankings, the Moscow-born American has shown glimpses of her old form, defeating a number of top players. The 25-year-old has settled at her ranking of No 55, but she has been unable to find any sort of consistency.
The US Open marks a new era in British tennis, the first grand slam tournament since Andy Murray’s retirement at the Olympic games. Still, the absence of the country’s most revered player changes absolutely nothing for Raducanu.
“It doesn’t feel different at all,” she said. “Tennis is unforgiving in that sense. No matter who you are, it just moves on. There is always another match, there is always another tournament.
“Andy has achieved amazing things and I watched him win this tournament but it is a fast pace, just like life is. It’s old news the next day kind of thing. The Brits are doing really well right now.”