Emma Raducanu made a surprising decision many weeks ago when she confirmed that she won't be playing at the Paris Olympics, but there was a plan behind that decision, and it has been working.
The Brit played inspired tennis earlier this year on clay, pushing the British team past France in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers on French soil. She delivered two massive wins in singles, both of which were crucial to allow her nation to secure a spot in the Finals, and many of her fans were excited to see what she could do at Roland Garros and the Olympics.
Unfortunately for them, Raducanu never played at either competition, opting for a different approach. Raducanu missed the French Open because she wanted to start her Wimbledon preparation early on grass, and it proved a good decision, as she played well on grass and at Wimbledon.
Her run ended in a minor disappointment, as she was beaten by a qualifier, Lulu Sun, but overall, it was still an excellent choice to play on grass instead of Roland Garros, at least regarding her result and points earned.
The other surprising move was her withdrawal from the Olympic Games in Paris. For Raducanu, it was an easy choice because she didn't want to go back to clay and then back to hard courts, feeling that it would be harsh on her body.
Several players made the same choice, so it wasn't unusual. It also allowed her to start focusing on hard courts earlier, with her first event being the Citi Open in Washington.
She has played two matches so far at the 2024 Citi Open, winning both, and it's clear that this was a good decision. Speaking to the media after her win over Peyton Stearns, Raducanu admitted that she was glad about the wins because she's finally starting to pick up some nice momentum-winning matches at every event she plays.
"It's tricky today, when you get rained off at such a big moment like that. It can affect the dynamics of the match. I think I did a pretty good job of coming out pretty strong and toughing out that tiebreak."
Stearns is a good player and an American, which makes the matchup always tough when it's played on American soil. But Raducanu was able to dig deep, similar to how she did against Elise Mertens in the previous match, and win.
The hope is that she can keep it going and possibly advance even further at the WTA 500 event, which would be a needed result for her.
"I knew it was going to be a tough match against Peyton, especially playing at home. It's been a good run for me in the last few months, I think I'm building some momentum."
It won't be easy because she will face Paula Badosa, who has been playing at a high level for a while now. Spaniard is one of the favorites for this event due to the way she's played, but Raducanu has been equally good.
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