Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has had a rollercoaster of a career, and her unique journey enabled the British star to reflect on her life and goals as she disclosed the philosophies that have guided her as a self-proclaimed "perfectionist."
The 2021 US Open champion has been struggling with form and injuries, last competing on the WTA tour in April 2023 before undergoing ankle and wrist surgery. However, the Brit aims to make her return at the upcoming ASB Classic, which kicks off on January 1, 2024.
Raducanu acknowledge the importance of hard work and working smarter
The 21-year old recently grace the cover of Tatler Asia's January issue, during which she spoke about her strong work ethic. Additionally, she touched on the subject of not being too hard on herself during trying times, and allowing a break when things got too difficult.
"I think anyone who’s actually worked with and around me knows that I’m a really hard worker. It’s true that if you put in the hours and hours and hours and hours, it’s going to get you there. But at some point, you get diminishing returns, and it’s just not the most efficient way to train or learn, and knowing when to pull back and actually work smarter is when you get more out of yourself and better results.
"If something’s not perfect—and I’m quite a perfectionist—I’ll be nicer [to myself ] and just say, okay, it’s fine. And sometimes when there’s so much going on, I will put everything on pause, because I know now that’s how I’m going to get the best out of myself."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.