"I've rekindled a fire inside of me" - Emma Raducanu opens up on rediscovering her passion for tennis

British tennis star Emma Raducanu claims to have fallen back in love with tennis, and this has been evident based on her recent results during the grass court season.

The former World No.10 displayed poise and confidence during her run to the semifinals at last week's Nottingham Open. With the Wimbledon Championships set to begin on July 1, Raducanu seems to have rediscovered the winning form that saw her magical run culminate with a maiden Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open.

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Raducanu insists she has fallen back in love with the sport

The 21-year old missed Wimbledon last year due to injuries that required surgery. Raducanu had a subpar start to the 2024 season, and took an extended break following a first round exit at the Madrid Open. However, upon her return, the British star reached the semifinals at Nottingham and credits her rediscovered passion for her massive improvement.

"I love tennis,’ said Raducanu. "It’s kind of taken over me. I’ve rekindled a fire inside of me. Just very happy and enjoying it a lot. I would say it was right before Nottingham it happened. I’m just really grateful to have this feeling again because it’s something I’ve been missing for the last few years.
"I’ve haven’t felt this good about my tennis and this passionate for a long, long time. I’m way less focused on the result because I know with the way I’m training and competing, good things are 100 per cent going to happen. I have full faith and belief in that now - I can actually say it and mean it at the same time, rather than just saying it."

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Raducanu received backlash from fans for skipping the French Open qualifiers last month, but it appears she made the right decision as she has re-emerged with renewed vigor. She will face 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens on Tuesday in the first round of the Eastbourne International.

"I feel in a lot better spirits on and off the court,’ she added. "It's showing in my day to day. I'm a lot brighter and bubblier. Someone commented the other day: “It's like back to your old self”. And I would actually say no, it's my new self, because I have the experiences I've learned from the past me, too. I like figuring out the challenges because I know there are inevitably going to be some."