Just In: Emma Raducanu Receives a Huge Boost as Andre Agassi Offers Powerful Advice on How to Escape Her “Slump,” Leaving Tennis Fans Emotional and Hoping the British Star Can Rediscover Her Best Form
Emma Raducanu has been reading up on the highs and lows of Andre Agassi’s career as she looks for inspiration on how to end her current slump. The young Brit hasn’t played a match in around three months, with injuries taking their toll since just before Wimbledon. She didn’t feature at the All England Club and was also sidelined for the US Open, the tournament she famously won five years ago.
Raducanu’s inactivity has seen her tumble down the WTA rankings, slipping from 31st to 96th in a dramatic fall from grace. She was expected to return to the court at the upcoming China Open, but her name quietly dropped off the entry list earlier this week. As a result, it’s not known when Raducanu will be able to start working her way back up the ladder.
In a recent interview with Uniqlo, she explained that she had been reading Agassi’s autobiography with a particular focus on the way he dusted himself down from various setbacks.
“[The book] describes what Agassi was up to and how he built his career in startling detail,” said Raducanu.
“I was especially intrigued by the passage where he got out of his slump in the late 1990s by creating his own training regimen and finding his way back to the top.
“It speaks in depth about his early successes and the lows he reached perhaps as a result of them. A lot of it was so relatable.”
Raducanu was also quizzed on what she is hoping to achieve over the next year or so, replying: “Athletes have such short careers. I’m going to keep doing my best and enjoying the process to the fullest.
“Of course I have concrete goals, but what matters most is focusing on each day at a time. If you obsess over results and put too much pressure on yourself, things tend not to go so well.”
It has been a difficult few years for Raducanu, who has experienced a steady decline since winning the US Open against all odds in 2021.
Asked what it was like to achieve Grand Slam glory at such a young age, she said: “I was a bit stunned myself, since I was 18 at the time.
“I’m not sure I fully understood the way this fit in with the Grand Slam. It’s led to more chances and connections than I could ever have imagined.
It’s like a dream, though the expectations and the judgment have got more and more intense. At times it’s been a heavy load. I’ve learned all kinds of things and I’m much stronger than before.
“I’m still growing, of course. I guess you could say I’ve gained the power to face whatever’s coming next.”
