Emma Raducanu: Eye-catching and attention-grabbing on court, headline-maker off it.
Raducanu’s 2024 run at Wimbledon was consistent with what’s been a theme for her fledgling tennis career ever since first dazzling at the All England Club three years ago when reaching the fourth round as an 18-year-old debutant, prior to stunning the watching world when winning the US Open two months later.
In 2021, when Raducanu pulled out of her fourth-round match against Ajla Tomljanovic on Centre Court due to breathing problems, Piers Morgan tweeted that the teenager “couldn’t handle the pressure” and needed to “toughen up”.
She’s drawn criticism for the regularity in which she’s hired and fired coaches, with five coming and going over her first two years in tennis before settling on current companion Nick Cavaday.
In 2023, Raducanu said after an opening victory in Indian Wells that she did not know when Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals qualifying tie with France was, prompting captain Anne Kheothavong to post on social media: “My communication skills are generally good in case anyone was wondering.”
Raducanu would be prove to be ‘unavailable’ for the April clash, though did help the team into the finals this year.
There have been the injuries – Raducanu missed the best part of nine months in 2023 after having surgery on both wrists and her left ankle – while she also pulled out of the French Open this year, having said “mentally and emotionally, I was exhausted” following a straight-sets exit to Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round of the Madrid Open.
Highlights of Raducanu’s first-round defeat against Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carle at the Madrid Open
This week, there’s been the fallout from Raducanu’s decision to withdraw from her mixed doubles pairing with Andy Murray at his last Wimbledon, a move his mum Judy branded as ‘astonishing’ in a post on X, before later clarifying she was being sarcastic.
Raducanu cited a sore wrist as behind the decision, prioritising her fourth-round singles match on Sunday. And despite losing out to New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun, Raducanu stood by her decision, labelling it a “no-brainer”.
Jonathan Overend says it was a good call by Raducanu to pull out of the mixed doubles event with Andy Murray at Wimbledon
It’s one of the most impressive things about the 21-year-old, along with her undoubted ability – the courage of her convictions.
As proven by all of the above, Raducanu does not shy away from big decisions, making gutsy calls. She is the captain of her career and it’s a role she’s extremely comfortable with… unlike so many others would be at the same age, in any kind of industry.
Former British No 1, and three-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, Johanna Konta made the point rather more poetically, and somewhat prophetically given the Murray move, during Raducanu’s first-round win over Renata Zarazua last week.
“I think, ultimately, what her [Raducanu’s] biggest asset and strength will be in the end is her trust in her own decisions,” Konta said on the BBC.
“Whether from the sidelines you agree with her or don’t – it’s very easy to say, ‘do this, do that’ – it cuts out a lot of wasted energy if she has such belief and trust in her own decisions, because nothing is more crippling than self-doubt.
“That will help expedite her journey into hopefully a very long and illustrious career.”
And that’s precisely what Raducanu is targeting… an illustrious career, yes, but also longevity.
Her stratospheric rise to the US Open title in 2021 put somewhat of a target on her back and made her a lightning rod for criticism – precisely why she’s looking to more of a steady ascent following on from her return from injury.
Highlights of Raducanu’s historic win at the 2021 US Open
“You don’t want things to happen too easily and too quickly,” Raducanu said after her Wimbledon exit. “I had that before [with US Open success]. I don’t necessarily want just a massive spike.
“I think I’m working there, tracking in the right direction.”
Konta too reflected on that US Open triumph, saying: “It’s an interesting thing, because it’s a situation where, how can you feel sorry for someone who has achieved so much because of that [US Open] result – she’s had so many good things in her life.
“But equally, it comes with its own baggage. It’s a blessing and a curse; it’s such a backwards way of establishing yourself on tour.
“Although she obviously played so incredibly well to win the US Open, because it was so unexpected, it’s hard to trust in yourself that your level is actually good enough – because you haven’t played long enough.
“She might be in trap of, ‘was it a fluke? Can I play that level? Where do I fit in the tour?’
“You usually come from the bottom up, rarely from the top down and then back up again.”
It’s precisely why Raducanu’s reflections on her week from Wimbledon have been overwhelmingly positive, despite the defeat to Sun when favoured going into the contest and with her side of the draw opening up a favourable route to the final.
A look at the best moments from day seven of Wimbledon, which saw Raducanu and Coco Gauff depart
It’s also likely why Raducanu ended up in the predicament she did with Murray and the mixed doubles – the possibility of reaching the second week of Wimbledon in the singles was unlikely to be on her radar at the start of the tournament. She herself described her third-round win over ninth seed Maria Sakkari as “a free swing.”
After her exit to Sun, Raducanu said: “I beat two top-10 players within two weeks [Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne and Sakkari], which is a pretty big deal for me, seeing as the whole US Open even I didn’t play one top-10 player.
“I think I have to take confidence from that. Six months ago when I was starting out after surgery, I would have signed for fourth round at Wimbledon.
“Of course I’m disappointed. Of course I want more. I think everything does happen for a reason. It just fuels the fire and makes me more hungry.”
Spoken like someone with utter clarity over the direction of their career. Others might cast doubt over her decision-making, but Raducanu is as confident with her movements off the court as on it.
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