Emma Raducanu has revealed that her impatience has been one of her “biggest downfalls”, with the trait proving costly last year as she attempted to overcome injury issues. The Briton reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in almost three years at Wimbledon last month after winning the US Open as an 18-year-old in 2021.
Raducanu was tipped for a bright future at the pinnacle of tennis after triumphing at Flushing Meadows as she became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam.
But she was then plagued by a string of injury problems and a loss of form as she failed to go beyond the second round of a major tournament in six attempts.
Raducanu underwent operations on both her wrists and an ankle last spring and didn’t return to action until the ASB Classic in Auckland at the start of this year.
And the 21-year-old told Marie Claire magazine: “I think the biggest lesson I’ve learnt in terms of injury recovery is not to rush back. My impatience is probably one of my biggest downfalls because I basically rushed the process of my recovery, and set myself back many months.
“Instead of taking me four months to return to play, it took me eight. And it took me seven months without hitting balls, when I should have been hitting balls after a month-and-a-half.
So I think having people who are really strict with you in coming back from injury is important. People who are literally counting every shot that you hit and making it really scientific, not just on feeling, because sometimes your mind overtakes your body, and by pushing more you’re actually setting yourself back.”
And Raducanu, who was knocked out of the Citi Open in the quarter-finals by eventual champion Paula Badosa, has also explained that she isn’t focused on winning tournaments at the moment.
“Long term, I want to win Wimbledon. That’s my number one goal. But in the short term, I just want to keep staying healthy and improving my skills. Working on the actual development of them rather than any immediate results – that’s my priority right now,” she added.
I think it’s very easy in tennis to panic, and I’m guilty of it. You feel like you only have 10 years of your career ahead of you, and that it’s going to be over before you know it.
Sometimes 21 feels so old, and then I remember that in the timeline of my career I still have 10 years of slams ahead of me – even 15 if I really want.
“And while it goes by very quickly, I’ve only had three years on tour so far, so there’s a lot more learning and developing to do.
