Emma Raducanu is in Seoul where she will play her first match in the early morning hours of Wednesday and she's admitted that she is eyeing the title.
Raducanu has struggled this year both with tennis and her body as she dealt with numerous injuries and very inconsistent play. At times, she looked as sharp as when she won the US Open but other times it looked very poor. She understands that that is part of becoming a pro and it's something she skipped over last year when she won the US Open suddenly:
“I think now just playing a lot of matches is something that I could really benefit from. I know that I was meant to go through the development year at some stage, and I completely skipped it last year, so I know that I need to do the hard yards now. And it’s sort of payback for winning the US Open with very little practice or work.”
She further added:
“I would obviously love to win a title, and to be honest, I think that it doesn’t matter at what level."
The draw in Seoul is quite tough so it might be unlikely but it only takes her a few good matches to properly catch fire. She also admitted that she is practicing a lot more than before and she might feel it in some matches:
"In some matches, I might feel it more than others. But I’m just going to commit to this to get fitter and stronger, and next year I’m going to have a lot more tolerance to high intensities.”