Emma Raducanu became the darling of tennis during her historic US Open run, but since then, her stock among tennis fans has diminished due to some bizarre moves, some of which she tried to explain.
Raducanu became the darling of Great Britain with her inspired performance at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where she made the fourth round of the grass-court major in the British capital.
She then became the darling of the tennis community with her tremendous run at the US Open just a few weeks later. She became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam event, writing her name in history books forever.
Since then, however, her stock has diminished due to a string of some bizarre choices. The dismissal of her coach, who led her at the US Open, was hugely criticized, and her recent parting with noted coach Torben Beltz also raised some eyebrows.
There doesn’t seem to be much of a plan for Raducanu, who tried to explain some of her recent moves. Speaking at the Italian Open in Rome, Raducanu admitted that she’s a bit of a loner and currently enjoys having no people around her. In her own words, it gives her a chance to get to know herself better.
"I'd describe myself as a loner. For the past year... I've had a lot of people around me a lot and very often. To be on my own is interesting because I'm kind of finding out a lot about myself, understanding what I need and what I don't need."
Clay is certainly a surface that should give her ample time to get to know herself because the rallies are very long, and it’s not a surface she knows very well. She admitted to that but expressed her opinion that she was trending in a very positive direction in recent weeks.
"Clay is very new to me. I definitely feel like I have been progressing with each week, improving, getting a better understanding of how to play points, when to stay in the point or when to stay aggressive. I don't think I'm like the finished product at all. But, yeah, I'm heading in a good direction."
In her next match at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, the British player will test herself against fellow former Grand Slam champion, Bianca Andreescu, who, too, won the US Open as a teenager.
0 Comments