Focus on enjoyment, not results: Emma Raducanu shares secret behind surge in form ahead of Canadian Open third-round encounter

Britain’s Emma Raducanu is going through a bit of a purple patch, according to what she had gone through in the past with fitness struggles and inconsistent results. The 22-year-old is currently playing in the Canadian Open in Montreal where she cemented her spot in the third round after beating America’s Peyton Stearns in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

It is now the third consecutive competition this season where Raducanu has at least won two matches. At Wimbledon, Raducanu defeated fellow countrywoman Mingge Xu in the first round and the one-time Grand Slam winner, the Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova, in the second round before eventually losing to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 32.

Then at the DC Open, Raducanu had an extended run. She defeated Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the first round in straight sets. In the second round, Raducanu got the better of former world number one Naomi Osaka and in the quarterfinals, she defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6. Raducanu’s journey in the tournament ended in the semifinals as she lost to Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets.

Raducanu is now set to face America’s Amanda Anisimova, who secured her place in the third round of the ongoing WTA 1000 event in Montreal after beating New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6. It will be the third meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous two meetings, Raducanu came out on top, and that too without losing a single game.

Ahead of her next round encounter against the 2025 Wimbledon runner-up, Raducanu spoke to the media and explained how is she feeling going into such a big game. Raducanu stated that she is a ‘very pleased’ with her progress on the court and her focus is more on enjoying than trying to win every match. "I am very pleased with my progress and how I am evolving,” said Raducanu. “My focus is no longer solely on the results but on enjoying every day and trying to accumulate as many good days as possible, without letting the bad ones affect me. Even if I have a rough morning session, I try to bounce back right away."

Raducanu then went on to state that she likes her appearance on the court and believes that she looks more ‘composed’ on the court. Raducanu was also of the opinion that with so much tennis being played, no amount of results can be described as good enough, even winning a Grand Slam.

"I think when I see myself now, I really like how I appear on the court,” said Raducanu. “I mean the energy, and I feel quite upbeat. I believe I seem more composed on the court. I think it is a result of the work I put in behind the scenes that maybe people don't see. I love that, I love building on it, doing everything in the shadows. I feel pretty calm because I know that, regardless of the outcome, I am doing the right thing, accumulating many consecutive good days, and striving to maintain the streak. It is working really well. It eases the pressure on the immediate match results. Results are so fleeting. Even if you win the US Open, you are only in the spotlight for a few days, then you return straight to work. Yes, it is such an unforgiving calendar with a tournament every week. Even if you win a Grand Slam and then lose because you are tired the following week, you still feel bad about the loss. Yes, it is strange, but now my aim is to keep working hard and accumulating good days. I have been doing really well,"