"I think I've come a long way since then" 🤩 Emma Raducanu reflects on her last match in Madrid before undergoing surgery a year ago ✨
"Everything is a gain, everything is a win": Emma Raducanu looks ahead with no ranking pressure on Madrid Open return
WTATuesday, 23 April 2024 at 18:00
Emma Raducanu won't have to defend any more ranking money or points from here onwards as the Brit is looking forwards instead of back after a successful start to her clay court season. The former US Open champion a year ago left Madrid withdrawing after uttering 58 words in a 16 question press conference and had surgery in the months that followed.
Pressure mounted on Raducanu as it has done since her US Open triumph with the press that were lauding her soon preying on her demise. But after recent results started to pick up at Billie Jean King Cup and Stuttgart, Raducanu heads into the clay court season and then Wimbledon with a more positive outlook not only to herself and her tennis future with nothing but moving forward in her plans.
“The altitude here, it doesn’t catch you as off guard,” said Raducanu said to Sky Sports. "It’s always going to be different, but at least you can expect it and you know where things are, which always helps – you know where the stringer is, the gym is, everything, where to find the food. That’s where it does come in handy, but I think I’m just trying to freshen up physically as much as possible.
“This was the last place I came to last year before surgery and I pulled out on site, and then I had surgery and missed the next eight months. For me, it’s like now I have zero to defend for the rest of the year, so everything is a gain, everything is a win. Thinking how far I came since last year is a great thing.”
She added: “I was thinking about my last interview in Madrid and it was 16 words [sic], so I think I’ve come on a lot since then.
A year on from a dejected press conference, Emma Raducanu is in a better place.
“Obviously I had a lot going on, I knew I was going to have to have surgery, but I didn’t want to say anything about it.
“Coming here I feel a lot better, I’m in a lot better place with my tennis, mentally I feel really confident and I’m just looking forward for the rest of the clay season to be honest.”
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