Last year she was kicked off a practice court in a New York park; now Cincinnati run hints at a return of that carefree youngsterAn hour into Emma Raducanu’s startling third-round match at the US Open last year, she still, somehow, had not lost a single game. In the second grand slam event of her career, the 18-year-old had lined up against the eternally steady Sara Sorribes Tormo, a match-up that seemed destined to push Raducanu to her limits. Instead, the youngster tore her apart. Raducanu led 6-0, 5-0 with a match point on her opponent’s serve, then a game later, served out the win over her top 50-ranked opponent. With it, the idea of what she could really achieve...
The US Open champion played her first matches on Centre Court at a time when new heroes are needed at SW19Farewell to all that then. In the end Emma Raducanu’s first superstar Wimbledon, her first as a champion – or increasingly, in front of a fond, rapt Centre Court as Em! – could only stretch to three days and two matches.On a chilly June afternoon the British No 1 was beaten in straight sets by Caroline Garcia of France. And there will be sadness at such a meek exit. For Raducanu because she was simply blown away by a more powerful opponent, a moment of cold, hard sporting reality for a teenager who is still just a year into her...
US Open champion already has a worrying history of fitness problems, so getting things right off the court is keyEven in defeat Emma Raducanu digested her second-round loss at the French Open last month with striking positivity. Five months into a season of constant stopping and starting with various injuries, along with doubts she would even make it to Paris, a part of Raducanu seemed relieved to have finished a tournament in one piece: “It is definitely positive that I’m coming out of this match feeling pretty good physically,” she said.It did not last long. Just over a week later, in her first match back on home soil on Tuesday, Raducanu was out of the Rothesay Open Nottingham with a...
Focus on physical strength and fitness and choice of new coach should be invaluable in her second WTA Tour seasonAs one of the most unexpected recent breakout seasons came to an end in November, Emma Raducanu seemed to have built a solid base for the new year. After the grand slam success, the first round of new endorsements, the questions over her coaching choices and the predictable dip in form as her life changed for ever, Raducanu closed off her year by hiring an experienced, well-regarded coach, Torben Beltz, to guide her through her next steps of her young career.With the off-season beckoning, Raducanu frequently spoke about her goal of improving her physical strength and fitness in order to address...
New research into performance under pressure among tennis players shows the biggest names do not just rise to the occasion on the biggest pointsEmma Raducanu is already proving a master of changing the narrative. At Wimbledon some questioned her temperament after she pulled out of her fourth-round match with breathing difficulties. Two months on, those critics were made to eat their words after her stunning US Open victory in the Big Apple.She was at it again at a homecoming event at the National Tennis Centre on Friday, showing her ruthless side by revealing she had dispensed with the services of her coach in New York, Andrew Richardson. Of course, it was the right decision. Richardson was on a short-term contract...