"I'm 100% okay starting over if my ranking plummets to 1000" - Raducanu ready for rankings drop
WTA
Emma Raducanu admitted that even if her ranking significantly drops after the 2022 US Open, she's ready for it.
Raducanu started her preparation for the US Open at the 2022 Citi Open in Washington. She defeated Louisa Chirico in two sets in her opening match at the WTA 500 event.
The teenage sensation will face a difficult task at this year's US Open as she defends 2,000 points from last year's triumph. If she fails to defend those points, she might face a huge drop in the WTA Rankings.
However, according to her own words, she's ready for it. Still, before the last Grand Slam of the season starts, Raducanu has a great chance to collect some points, for example, in Washington, where she's second seed and will take on Camila Osorio in the second round.
After her first-round victory in Washington, Raducanu was happy to record a win. She last won at Wimbledon more than a month ago, so she wanted to get back to the winning ways.
"Definitely feels really good to get a win here in D.C. And after not playing for quite a bit after Wimbledon or many matches at all this year, I think it's a really nice feeling just to get on the board."
"I think playing any first round is always pretty challenging. Then when you're not necessarily that match-sharp, small things you don't necessarily get right. It's just important to stay calm."
Raducanu also spoke about her ranking and her upcoming title defense. Although she previously had some expectations regarding her tennis career, she's not completely at peace even if she loses all of her ranking points.
"I think that no matter what I said, I probably did have, you know, certain expectations of myself that were probably a bit twisted. And now I genuinely just accept it."
"Okay, it's not going to be pretty necessarily or easy, but I'm like 100% okay for starting over, to be honest. Like if my ranking plummets to like 1000 or whatever, then I don't care."
"Yeah, I think that I feel -- it's more I feel wiser now compared to, like, just after the US Open and the beginning of this year. I know that being a US Open champ I'm going to somehow pull my way back up there. It's going to take a bit of time maybe, but, yeah, I'm just really, you know, accepting of that and looking forward to whatever journey it takes."
