Emma Raducanu has not had a very good year so far, but the Briton is not losing confidence in her abilities ahead of her opening match at the Citi Open in Washington.
Many had unreasonably high expectations after Raducanu's shock run to the title at the US Open last year as a qualifier. Some in the British media, in particular, were expecting her to challenge at all the Grand Slams this year.
That has not happened, with Raducanu finding the day-to-day grind of the WTA Tour challenging this year. Her struggles are entirely understandable, considering she is still just 19 years old.
Raducanu's latest setback was a second-round defeat at Wimbledon to Caroline Garcia. She reached the fourth round at SW19 last year, meaning her ranking took a hit after her defeat to Garcia.
She hopes to find better form during the North American hardcourt season. Her heroics in 2021 at this time of the year might give her the confidence needed to produce some of her best tennis.
Although it has been a difficult season for Raducanu, she is proud of her resilience during the challenging moments and of having found the courage to pick herself back up every week after being knocked down.
“I’ve learnt I’m pretty resilient. I’ve pretty much been knocked down every single week literally in front of everyone and got back up every single time.”
Raducanu has a 9-12 record so far this season, demonstrating how many times she has taken hits this year. Learning from those moments and using them to improve is an impressive skill for someone so young.
The US Open champion could turn her season around and quieten her critics with a strong run at the Citi Open. The conditions in Washington should suit her game, making her a potentially dangerous draw in the U.S. capital.