Emma Raducanu spent much of last year recovering from triple surgery, which has obviously left a mark on her and her confidence.
Being away from the sport you love is very difficult, especially when for a young player who wants to play as much as possible. Raducanu has dealt with minor physical issues since she broke out at the US Open a few years ago, but none of that can compare to last year.
Last year, the Brit underwent triple surgery to address all those small issues that bothered her, and the recovery was long and grueling. It lasted many months, so her return only happened this year.
It was a tough process for her because it impacted her confidence, which is so vital for a tennis player.
"If I am injured I lose confidence, and it’s time away from training when you could be improving, and it’s that fear of missing out. When I was very sedentary and stationary — because I had one hand and an ankle in a cast, the other hand in a splint at the same time — it was really difficult."
Raducanu is back to playing this year and while she had a slow start initially, the British player started to play better in recent weeks. Some really good showings on clay were a positive signal that she is truly rediscovering some of her best tennis.
It also took a while to get back into the swing mentally. The recovery was particularly hard mentally because going from active to sedentary was rough for Raducanu, who had couldn't do even some day-to-day activities.
"Mentally that was the toughest part, going from being so active and being able to do everything to not being able to do even basic day-to-day things, shower or brush my teeth."
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