"I'm not the finished product" admits Emma Raducanu with previous injuries halting consistency for former US Open champion

Upon her arrival at the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open, Emma Raducanu spoke about her development as a tennis player and the challenges she has faced in training since winning the 2021 US Open. The young British player has struggled with injuries and has lacked continuity since dazzling the world with her first Grand Slam.

At just 21 years old, she has already undergone surgeries on both wrists and her knee, taking eight months to return to competition and dropping in the rankings to outside the top 300.

Raducanu reflected on her challenging last two years but remained optimistic, stating that she still considers herself a developing player with much to offer in tennis: “I’m very patient and very grateful to enjoy what I’m doing. I’m just trying to improve my game because I’m not the finished product, far from it,” the former world No. 10 claimed.

“I feel like now is the time to start because I’ve had some illness and injuries over the couple of years since winning the US Open, so I’m looking forward to working on my game, improving my level and the results will take care of themselves.”

“I’ve never really had the chance to do proper training weeks back-to-back. For six or seven months, before I ended up having the surgeries, I was only practising one or two hours a day just to limit the load on the wrists. In a way, it’s frustrating that the last couple of years haven’t been how I’ve wanted but I think we take a lesson from everything and now is the time to start that work, and I’m really enjoying it,” Raducanu added.

Raducanu's level excites fans. Her previous appearances in the ASB Classic and the Australian Open resulted in two victories and two defeats, but showcased a level that wasn't seen in Raducanu's last few months of competition in 2023.

The young British player secured a significant victory in her debut at the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open by defeating the Czech player Marie Bouzkova (No. 35) with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 scoreline. In the second round, she will face her biggest challenge since her return, going up against the world No. 6 Ons Jabeur, the second seed in the tournament.