Just In: Fans Left Overwhelmed as Emma Raducanu Finally Reveals Her Goals for the Coming Years After Recent Woes
Emma Raducanu has endured a torrid year laden with injuries, and yet, on paper, it’s arguably been one of her most successful.
After all, before suffering the stress fracture that has curtailed her entire summer, the Brit had reached finals in Romania and Queen’s, two tournaments supremely close to her heart.
Losing both of them will have hurt, but it marked great progress given her last final was the US Open in 2021.
Emma Raducanu has been forced to miss both Wimbledon and the US Open because of this ongoing injury, with her return still undetermined.
What we do know is that it will not be anytime soon, having just silently withdrawn from the latest WTA 1000 event in Wuhan, which starts later this month.
Emma Raducanu breaks silence after lengthy injury lay-off
It feels like some time since we have heard from Raducanu, and judging by her social media, the 23-year-old is trying to enjoy some well-earned downtime whilst she allows her body to recover from all the physical turmoil it has been put under.
After all, this is a supremely talented player who has suffered from some rotten luck with injuries. This enforced absence from the sport she loves will be impacting her more than anyone else.
But now, speaking with UNIQLO in a special feature, where she remains a Global Brand Ambassador, she answered a handful of questions, from everything to her career to her new affiliation with this brand.
Raducanu began by revealing her goals for the coming years: “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!”
Then, asked to recall what it was like to win that 2021 US Open, she admitted: “I was a bit stunned myself, since I was eighteen 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.”
Raducanu has suffered a sharp drop in rankings in recent months, but it will hopefully only make it easier for her to rise back up when this period comes around next year.
Alex Eala and Emma Raducanu headline China Open withdrawals
Despite it remaining one of the most prestigious tournaments on the WTA Tour calendar, this year’s China Open is suffering.
After all, Raducanu merely scratches the surface of big-name withdrawals they have already suffered, and could still endure.
Alex Eala’s decision to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games has been the outstanding story, with threats of a WTA-enforced sanction still very real.
This has not deterred her from missing the WTA 1000 Wuhan, even if it is ‘mandatory’.
Elsewhere, stars like Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste will also be absent as they continue to recover from long-term injuries suffered earlier this season.
Former world number one Karolina Pliskova will also miss the China Open.
