With hindsight, Emma Raducanu’s defeat in the first round of the Madrid Open on April 24 was a blessing in disguise. This was the match after which the 21-year-old said she was “mentally and emotionally exhausted” after a busy start to the clay-court season.
While most players spent the next few weeks gearing up their clay-court skills before the French Open, Raducanu switched back to hard courts. Having vowed at the start of her comeback that she would focus on improvements rather than results this year, a bold decision was made to pass up the opportunity to qualify for the French Open and skip the rest of the clay season.
Eyebrows were raised that a player would opt out of a grand-slam tournament without reporting an injury of any sort but Raducanu’s choice has been vindicated by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon. In three straight-sets victories she has bounded around the court with no shortage of energy and joy.
To understand why Raducanu seems so cheery this year, you have to consider the position she was in 12 months ago. In the early stages of her rehabilitation from three operations, on both wrists and her left ankle, she barely watched any of the action from Wimbledon because it was a painful reminder of what she was missing out on. A couple of trips to the All England Club for sponsorship activities were also kept brief.
“I’m very grateful just being healthy this year,” Raducanu said. “I think it was really painful last year coming here and not being able to compete, being on the other side of it.
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“I think that feeling has been pulling me through a lot this week, just remembering how I felt then, bringing it back to the present. I’ve just been having so much fun that I really just want to stay. I don’t want to go home. It’s a good, different type of motivation.”
• Emma Raducanu roars into fourth round with another straight-sets win
It has also helped that Raducanu has stability at last in the people around her. Nick Cavaday, a 38-year-old former player from London, is her sixth main coach in the past three years but this is by far the most promising partnership in terms of job security. Since they started working together in December, she has repeatedly enthused about his advice and guidance on the practice court.
Of the recent improvements she has made, it is the commitment to fully unleash with her groundstrokes in the moments of maximum pressure that is most noticeable. This was a trait used to great effect during her famous run to the US Open title in 2021 before she regressed on the tour.
“Naturally one of my big strengths has always been the big points,” Raducanu said. “I step up, I thrive, I love the challenge and trying to overcome it. That’s something I did since a young age.
“In the last couple of years, I don’t think I was playing those big points in the same way. I wasn’t as aggressive, I was more passive.
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“When I’m playing such a top opponent like Maria [Sakkari, in the third round], she’s not going to give me the match or give me an error. I know I have to go for it. Anyone at this level of the tournament is the same. You just have to take the opportunities while you have them.”
• Emma Raducanu pulls out of mixed doubles match with Andy Murray
The passionate home atmosphere has been embraced by Raducanu this week. Rather than going into a shell, she has relished the chance to fist-pump and holler in the directions of the stands. More of the same is expected on Sunday afternoon when she returns to Centre Court to play Lulu Sun, the world No123 from New Zealand.
“I love playing on the big courts,” Raducanu said. “For me I thrive on such occasions, on big stages. It’s something that I play tennis for. I just love the feeling of it, competing, especially here in front of a home crowd. It is really amazing.
“I think on the pressure side, you can flip it. I have a packed Centre Court who are all rooting for me to win. I just feel happy that that many people are behind me.”
