- She hasn’t played a lot of tennis in 2023 due to injuries on her leg and wrists
- She is currently recovering from surgery she underwent in May
- The 20-year-old suffered an ankle injury during her second-round match in Auckland
British tennis player Emma Raducanu biggest dream is winning the Wimbledon now that her recovery is progressing well.
She hasn’t played a lot of tennis in 2023 due to injuries on her leg and wrists. Raducanu only played in 10 matches in five WTA tournaments before taking a hiatus.
In her first competition of the year, the 20-year-old suffered an ankle injury during her second-round match in Auckland in January.
She next competed in Indian Wells two months after losing to Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open.
Raducanu won three sets to qualify for the round of 16, but Iga Swiatek defeated her. After losing to Bianca Andreescu in Miami’s first round, the Brit then lost to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April.
Emma Raducanu. Photo/Sky Sports
Her streak of losses pushed her to seek medical help because she was always in pain in the 10 matches she played this season.
Despite winning the 2021 US Open as an unseeded player, Raducanu hasn’t won any other tournament since then, something she blames on her injuries.
As she now recovers from three surgeries conducted in May, on her ankle and both wrists, she still has her eyes fixed on the prize.
“Wimbledon is the dream and always has been growing up. It’s still the ultimate dream to win Wimbledon,” she told BBC London.
With her dipping performance over the past two years and missing most of the 2023 tour, Raducanu’s current ranking is world No.214.
Tim Henman, a former No. 4 in the world, spoke about what he thought a good comeback season for Raducanu would entail in an interview with i.
Henman says that if Raducanu plays in at least 23, tournaments in 2024, she will rise to the top of the ranking chart.
But, she needs to be in a good state mentally and physically. With this and her great tennis skills, she will get to the top.
“This has been and will be a great opportunity to really build a foundation, and it’s really around physical resilience. She hasn’t had the opportunity to do the big, extended periods of physical training,” he stated.
Earlier, Raducanu opened up on her regrets about winning the 2021 US Open.
British Teen Emma Raducanu .[Photo: The Guardian]
“When I won I was extremely naïve. What I have realised in the past two years, the tour and everything that comes with it, it’s not a very nice, trusting and safe space,” she told the Sunday Times.
The one-time Grand Slam champion says she is better aware that tennis has its sharks whose fascination is young tennis players who are 20 years old. Their existence, she adds, has made it difficult to navigate the sport and she ends up burned in some instances.
Her two years of navigating this scene have taught her the value of having just a few friends. The smaller the circle, the better for her.
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