Emma Raducanu recently opened up about her severe injury last year and admitted to a mistake that led to more time on the sidelines than she was expecting.
Raducanu is currently absent again from the WTA Tour with an injury sustained in her Korea Open quarterfinal last month against Daria Kasatkina. She retired after 31 minutes of that match.
The 21-year-old explained afterward that she had sprained ligaments in her foot. Raducanu has been absent ever since, most recently withdrawing from two more tournaments, but she still hopes to be fit for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
One consolation for the Briton is that the injury is not as severe as the issue that kept her out for nearly nine months last year. Raducanu's final match of 2023 was in April against Jelena Ostapenko before she was ruled out for the rest of the season.
The 2021 US Open champion needed surgery on both hands and her left ankle. She has spoken previously about needing a mobility knee scooter due to the seriousness of the injury.
Raducanu returned to tennis at the ASB Classic in Auckland at the start of the year. There have been some promising signs since, including runs to the Nottingham Open semifinal and the Citi Open quarterfinal.
The Briton also performed superbly in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers. Raducanu played the biggest role in Team Great Britain causing an upset away from home on clay against France by beating Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry.
However, Raducanu has been inconsistent, and also attracted criticism for not playing a match for over three weeks before this year's US Open. She lost in the opening round to Sofia Kenin in New York.
Andy Roddick is one of those who feels Raducanu does herself no favors by making some strange scheduling decisions, but the 21-year-old's experience while injured last year gave her perspective about how being healthy is more important than any criticism she gets.
In a video with sponsor HSBC, Raducanu recalled the physical issues she went through and also revealed that she was out for longer than planned after trying to return too quickly.
"I was out for eight months and I had three surgeries, and the rehab wasn’t as straightforward as everyone planned. Initially the return to play was only meant to be four months and it ended up being double because I came back a bit too quickly and then did more damage."
"So I think I also learned a lesson in patience and trying to rush things. In terms of coming back, it takes a while to get up to the speed of the game. The match is different from practice as well and introduces unpredictability."
"So I think now I’m just more grateful for my health than results. When you’re on the sidelines watching everything go past you and yeah it was difficult, I just had to shut it off and I actually couldn’t watch anything."
Hopefully, Raducanu is fit in time for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. But it would be understandable if she wants to be cautious after attempting to return too soon last year.
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