Emma Raducanu will play the US Open for the third time in his tennis career, and she's feeling the same fire she had when she won the trophy in her first attempt.
It happened back in 2021 when the Brit was a relatively unknown but fascinating teenager. Two months before, she made a surprising run at Wimbledon, flashing some potential. Fans were intrigued, but very few anticipated what would happen at the US Open.
In fact, former player John McEnroe famously declared that Raducanu wasn't ready for the big achievements, but Raducanu proved him wrong. She was a qualifier who won all three of her matches and simply kept winning.
One match after another, Raducanu kept winning. She went all the way to the final, in which she outplayed Leylah Fernandez to win the trophy. She was the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam.
History was made, and now she's back to play at Flushing Meadows for the third time in her career. Ahead of the event, Raducanu spoke with Sky Sports and admitted that she's feeling the fire again.
She's back to feeling good on the tennis courts, which is what happened in 2021 when she won the event. She didn't really think about anything; she just kept going and playing all the way to the trophy.
"I just play so much better when I'm happy and putting my personality out there. I think I've been playing a lot freer in the last month. I have been expressing myself, I've been fighting and there has been a lot of passion, I've been feisty. And that's me. I'm really tenacious and gritty."
Raducanu hasn't played like that in a very long time. There are multiple reasons why. Part of that was the expectations that arose after she was able to sensationally win the US Open.
Another reason was the frequent injuries, which she was rarely free in the past two years. Part of that was also her own struggles with various issues, including feeling as if she was playing a role and not being herself.
"I would say I've fluctuated. I think in the past I was always playing a role and sometimes I wasn't enjoying certain moments freely and carefree."
There will be a lot of eyeballs on Raducanu in New York for obvious reasons. Besides being a former champion, the Brit also generally has a lot of media attention on her. She's a very polarizing figure in the tennis world.
She could have a good run in New York, and if she plays as well as she did in Washington, it's not impossible. Part of the media frenzy is related to her facing Sofia Kenin in the opening round.
The draw rarely draws two former major champions against each other in the opening round. Raducanu is just pleased about having that passion and fire back. It's what she has been missing for a long time.
"I just feel a real fire back and desire. I've got that spark back which is what I'm most pleased about."
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