Emma Raducanu has been unlucky with injuries in 2024 but she is “still figuring out what works for her” and regular tennis is the way forward, according to Sky Sports pundit Laura Robson.
Raducanu, who soared to stardom when she won the US Open three years ago, has been beset by problems and announced at the start of this month she had withdrawn from two more tournaments as she continues to recover from a foot injury.
The 21-year-old was then targeting a return at the WTA 250 Hong Kong Tennis Open, live on Sky Sports from October 28 to November 3, but has pulled out of that event now too after confirming she would not be fit to feature.
Raducanu missed the Paris Olympics and then played just one hard-court tournament ahead of the US Open in August where she was sent crashing out in the first round to former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin.
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Martina Navratilova believes Raducanu should take ownership of her tennis career
“The break came after Toronto, and with hindsight wishes she should’ve kept playing through and then had a bit more momentum going into the US Open,” Robson told Sky Sports.
Raducanu said afterwards the decision had been a “collective call” between herself and members of her coaching team, but insisted that she would learn from the experience.
“I feel down, like I feel sad. This is a tournament I really want to do well in,” Raducanu said.
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Despite Raducanu’s loss against Sofia Kenin, Tim Henman believes her game is heading in the right direction…
“I’m just going to go back to the drawing board and train and analyse where I went wrong and try and improve for the rest of the season.
“Obviously, the Slams are over for this year, but it’s not actually that long until Australia comes around again.
“I would have preferred to probably play a little bit more before coming into the US Open.
“I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything’s automatic.
“I can learn from it. And, you know, manage my schedule slightly differently.
“It wasn’t just me. It was more of like a collective call and that’s what happened, and I can’t really change it.”
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Raducanu was visibly upset after losing her first round match at the US Open to Sofia Kenin
Robson said: “It’s tough listening to her say that in New York because you constantly have the feeling as a tennis player that you could’ve done things differently. It’s still such a learning experience and the fact that she’s still figuring out what works for her, figuring out where she wants to play, and how many tournaments.
“The game style has been a bit more aggressive over the last couple of months, which is great, but I think it’s also a learning curve.
“When you look at her results when she has played well and consistently – she can beat almost anyone. She’s a great player with such an attacking game style but you just need to be able to do that day in, day out.”
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Raducanu looks back at her US Open triumph in 2021
Raducanu is ranked 57th in the world having started the year at No 285 and with no ranking points to defend, the end of the tennis season could have been a lot more profitable for the British No 2.
“When you think about the months that she’s missed, to climb to the ranking she is now, it’s actually impressive. In that respect, she’s done really well,” said Robson, a former junior Wimbledon champion. “I think everyone, including her, would like to see it happen more often.
“It’s all about figuring out what works for you and maybe she just got unlucky over the last few weeks because that would have been a run of four or five events in a row, which would have been great, but then you pick up one little injury or niggle and you have got to start again all the time.
“When you have the opportunity to play, she’s now realised that that’s the way forward and if you can play back-to-back weeks then go for it.”
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In this episode of Sky Sports Editions we meet a passionate lover of the arts who refuses to be boxed in, Raducanu. Some footage provided is courtesy of IMG.
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
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Highlights of the Stuttgart Open quarter-final between Raducanu and world No 1 Iga Swiatek
- Almaty Open, Kazakhstan – ATP 250 (October 14-20 – Dan Evans in action)
- Stockholm Open, Sweden – ATP 250 (October 14-20 – Jacob Fearnley in action)
- European Open, Antwerp – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Japan Open, Osaka – WTA 250 (October 14-20 – Harriet Dart in action)
- Ningbo Open, China – WTA 500 (October 14-20 – Katie Boulter in action)
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Swiss Indoors, Basel – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China – WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo – WTA 500 (October 21-27)
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