When her clay-court strokes began to gain momentum at the Madrid Open last April, things were not going well for Great Britain’s top female tennis player. During the pre-tournament press conference, Emma Raducanu refused to communicate with reporters in any way. She was short and abrupt, answering questions as forcefully as the backhand of her two hands.
Turns out he has a lot on his mind. The next day he withdrew from the tournament due to injury and announced that he would take an indefinite leave of absence from the tour as his injuries healed. He later underwent three surgeries, one on each hand and one on his left ankle. His team initially hoped he would return before the end of the year.
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Raducanu, who turned 21 in November, only returned to competitive tennis last week in Auckland. She will return to grand slam tennis against Shelby Rogers in Melbourne on Tuesday. A lot has changed since his US Open victory in 2021, and the biggest question about his comeback is whether he can finally take steps to position himself properly on tour.
Injuries are one of the most challenging parts of professional sports; It immobilizes the world’s fastest movers and distracts them from their craft. Recovery means tedious rehab days and requires a lot of patience as they make very gradual improvements. Raducanu could barely move for two weeks following his operations and initially suffered a severe setback after returning to the field.
“I had two wrists and ankles very close together so that I could get the least amount of free time possible,” Raducanu said. “No sweating for two weeks each. I had a scooter for mobility for a while. I couldn’t send a message, I couldn’t do anything. “
That’s the challenge of tennis, but long layoffs can sometimes be really useful. Throughout the sport’s recent history, there are countless examples of players taking time out from the grind and taking advantage of their absence.
Sloane Stephens returned weeks later after a one-year layoff to win the 2017 US Open; The final and glorious chapter of Roger Federer’s career began with his remarkable Australian Open title that same year. Finally, Elina Svitolina returned refreshed from maternity leave last year, after taking a break from sports in 2022 due to burnout. Many players simply need to escape the intense hamster wheel and grueling travel demands of professional tennis to appreciate their sport.
Another player returning to Melbourne this week is two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, who has been away from competition for 16 months. She gave birth to her daughter Shai in July.
“I’ve taken many breaks over the years. For myself, I feel like, I think this is what finally came to my mind. I think I realized that as an athlete, time is really valuable. I had taken this for granted before. If that makes sense. “I was young and I felt like I could come back whenever I needed,” the 26-year-old said.
Ajla Tomljanovic, a 2022 Wimbledon and US Open quarter-finalist and on the comeback trail after a serious knee injury, says her injury has made her hungrier. “I think it made me want it even more,” she said. “I think without realizing it, it made me stronger emotionally, because if you’re not stubborn about coming back, you can’t heal yourself again.”
Removed from the sport, Raducanu focused on the challenges of his rehabilitation but also enjoyed his life off the field. “This just puts things into perspective. The feeling of not being able to move your body, like walking to the kitchen to get a snack, I couldn’t. And you miss it. No matter how many different athletes say, ‘Be grateful, appreciate being healthy,’ you can’t truly understand it until you experience it yourself. Of course it’s nice to hear, it’s nice to say, but I feel like everything is different until you actually experience it.”
While most top players have the advantage of improving gradually and adapting step by step to their increasing success, everything changed overnight for Raducanu. His body was falling apart at Madrid last year and his extensive sponsorship deals, coaching agreements and form were under constant scrutiny. He played tense, defensive and error-filled tennis on the court. But for now, it seems to be in a much better situation.
“I feel much lighter now after the US Open than I have felt in a long time,” Raducanu said. “I feel like I’m not playing with the tiles in my backpack. “I feel very light and happy.”
Despite questions about his physical condition, Raducanu has been training and enjoyed two sessions with two top England players on Friday. “Being with him today, watching his matches last week, I think what he did was absolutely incredible. I mean, it’s already inspiring to get back to this level,” said Britain’s No.1 player Katie Boulter.
Hours later, Raducanu trained at the National Tennis Center with No. 2 Jodie Burrage, who is her regular training partner and received similar feedback. “He was definitely creaming the ball,” Burrage said. “It was right for him to do that.”
Raducanu’s rapid change of coaches has attracted much attention during his short career – he is accompanied in Australia by Nick Cavaday, who worked with him for two years from the age of 10 – but whether his body can withstand the physical strain of professional tennis is a much more important theme in the context of his career now.
Since joining the tour in 2021, he has gone very few weeks without experiencing a physical issue before or during the tournament. Even at a young age, Raducanu was unable to handle the physical load without injury, and these problems continued throughout his professional career. Looking back, we can say that his US Open run was even more remarkable, not because he became the first player to win a grand slam tournament in the qualifying draw, but because his body managed to endure the most intense three weeks of his life.
Before his first-round match against Rogers, Raducanu was asked how he would define success at this point in his career. Instead of identifying a specific achievement or title, it was clear. He just needs to stay healthy.
“I think long-term success for me is playing the full season the rest of the year, being healthy throughout and being able to practice consistent weeks,” he said. “I know my level is there, I just need to keep working on it to make it more consistent. I think that will come with spending time in the gym, spending time on the field, being able to play on the schedule and not thinking: ‘Am I going to have to pull out of this, does this hurt…?’”
Then he shrugged. “Honestly, I think my level is too good to be successful if I put in consistent practice.”