Emma Raducanu is optimistic about returning to her U.S. Open-winning form from three years ago. Since her stunning victory at Flushing Meadows in the summer of 2021, she has been plagued by injuries that have kept her off the court for a significant part of the current season.
After suffering a foot ligament strain at the Korea Open in September, she made a comeback representing Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup earlier this month. Now recovered from her recent injury, Raducanu is confident about regaining her top form, demonstrating her unwavering resolve despite the hurdles she’s encountered.
“Mentally I feel like I am in a better place to compete now than I ever have been before since the U.S. Open,” the tennis star said. “It’s going to probably take me some tournaments to get up to speed but once I do, I think I am in a better headspace to compete now.”
Raducanu has claimed victory in 21 of her 34 matches over the past year and is set to enter the 2025 season ranked within the world’s top 60.
Whether she can reclaim her former glory by adding to her Grand Slam tally in the near future remains to be seen. She recently revealed her eagerness to return to the court following Great Britain’s semifinal departure at the Billie Jean King Cup.
“I think traditionally you’d probably have a bit of a break and take a holiday or something, but I feel like I have had four, five weeks off tennis and I don’t really need any more time off,” she explained.
“If anything, I’m excited and just itching to get on the practice court, and of course seeing some of my performances this week, it just incentivises me to do more work.”
With her sights set on making a deeper run at the Australian Open than ever before, Raducanu is gearing up to start her year at the ASB Classic in New Zealand. Last year, she turned heads at the event but was ousted by Elena Svitolina in the round of 16.
In preparation for Melbourne, Raducanu might also hit other WTA events between late December and early January to hone her game for the Grand Slam challenges ahead.