The Emma Raducanu career that never happened: What if she had lost at the 2021 US Open?

Before 2021, no one knew the name Emma Raducanu. By the end of it, she was on the tip of the tongue of many people, not just in tennis. Her triumphant US Open run that year belted her to stardom and was her breakthrough at the tender age of 18. With her career derailing over these past few years, where would Raducanu have been if she never won that title?

It was one of the most incredible Grand Slam titles run ever. Not even dropping a set in New York, Raducanu's run will be talked about for years to come and seemed to be the foundation for a legendary tennis career. However, British tennis's latest tease would prove to be an anticlimax.

Months away with injury, numerous coaches, and still with the spotlight firmly on her thanks to that shining light that was the US Open victory. That title is still the only triumph in her career. Two WTA finals in 2026 have ended in defeat, and there seems no sign that she will break that duct anytime soon.

So let's say that Raducanu did not win that US Open. Would her career have been better, worse, different? Would her prior demons experience these last few years be extinguished or still be there in force?

Raducanu had a bit of momentum behind her after a brilliant Wimbledon debut. She burst onto the scene at SW19 with a stunning showing, becoming the youngest British player to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon in the Open Era. Vitalia Diatchenko, Marketa Vondrousova and Sorana Cirstea were defeated before she was forced to retire against Ajla Tomljanovic due to breathing problems.

She went to the US Open not with the benefit of having a wildcard but being forced to barge her way through qualifying. Bibiane Schoofs, Mariam Bolkvadze and Mayar Sherif were disposed of by the 18-year-old who continued to make strides in the sport.

She was flawless throughout the event, not even dropping a set. Stefanie Vögele, Zhang Shuai, Sara Sorribes Tormo and Shelby Rogers were confidently defeated as Raducanu broke new ground. Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari were taken care of, and against all the odds Raducanu was a Grand Slam finalist.

Leylah Fernandez would pose a challenge, having defeated the reigning champion Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka, but the momentum was firmly in the Brit's camp. Winning the first set 6-4, she was in full control of the match and did not look back as she won the second set 6-3 and produced one of the most incredible major runs ever. She was the first, and only, qualifier to win a major title, the youngest Grand Slam winner since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon 2004, and was not even taken to a tiebreak in any of the 10 matches played in.

An outstanding display, which has not been backed up in the rest of her career. Inconsistent form, injuries and failing to find a stable coach or routine have hindered her progress. She continues to plough on, but most certainly that major triumph has kept her name in the sport when there could be an argument that she should not be among the best.

Let's go to an alternate reality. In this world, Raducanu loses in qualifying or is dumped out in the early rounds of the US Open. Everything written above did not happen, and Raducanu continues her development while being an unknown youngster.

For a start, the elephant in the room: she will not be a major champion, thus not getting the benefits from that later in her career. She would still be around the 150th in the world, where she was ahead of the tournament, and have the whole world at her feet.

The sky was still the limit for Raducanu. An incredibly talented teenager, an early exit in qualifying would not have been the end of the world. To make it into the main draw itself was a huge achievement and another huge learning curve for the 18-year-old.

She had already won three ITF titles from five finals between 2018 and 2020. Her development was coming along nicely with the free hits at Wimbledon and the US Open having no pressure on them at all. This would change following that major triumph, but if she did not win it, that pressure would not come, and the hype around her is still muted outside of Great Britain.

With her ranking still so low, Raducanu does not get boosted into the upper echelons of tennis, meaning she would need to rely on qualifying and wildcards for most of the WTA events. She would inevitably rise, but a lot slower, not gaining 2,000 points in one tournament.

A Grand Slam title is the pinnacle of tennis, one of the biggest sports on the planet. Everyone knew her name because the achievement was bigger than tennis. This was one of the biggest underdog stories in sport. The hype, attention and fame surrounding Raducanu were life-changing and possibly overwhelming at times.

None of that would have been there, pestering her. The pressure mounted, and now the expectations were through the roof. If she does not live up to it, then the consequences come. That is what occurred in this reality.

Raducanu may not have been a major champion, but she is still the same person who could be vulnerable to the same problems. For a start, her fragile body would be tested. She would continue playing and pushing her body, and inevitably injuries would occur.

The Grand Slam title would have given Raducanu a boost in this time. Wildcards would be common compared to if she had not major accolades, in which points would be harder to come by in the lower tournaments. Being lower ranked also leads to fewer benefits, including around her staff and medical care that may hamper her recovery and healing process.

On the topic of coaches, Raducanu has been through so many. The way she works has not matched up to many coaches, with Francisco Roig the latest to come and go. Maybe she would be more patient with her expectations not as high, but the same issues would still likely occur in terms of Raducanu not being totally satisfied with her coach. A specific style of play is what she wants to do and, in fairness, has proven to be good enough to challenge the best players in the world.

Being only 18 in 2021, there was so much time for Raducanu to eventually make her name in the sport. Who knows whether her trajectory would have been higher if she did not win that US Open, but nonetheless she would be in a better position if she did.

Despite the hype and expectation going through the roof, Raducanu has been able to create a half-decent tennis career. The injury layoffs have been detrimental to her progress, but her esteem on the WTA Tour allows her to compete in all sorts of big events.

Her development would be completely different, not as rushed. A steady trajectory up the order and the original plan in place would have remained. Instead, everything was thrown out of the window as Raducanu changed her team when becoming one of the best players in the world. With there being no pressure to stay among the best in the world, this would most certainly suit a very young and raw Raducanu.

No one can fully predict what would happen if Raducanu slipped up in the early rounds of the 2021 US Open. Her talent was there for show following that Wimbledon run. There were a number of British eyes on her, but the rest of the world would mostly be oblivious. Everyone would have left her to her own. Nothing was supposed to be rushed.

Still a teenager, Raducanu already making it into Grand Slams was a significant step. She was bound to be a superstar. It was likely that she would climb into the top 32, maybe not as high as 10th, but the main question would be her health. There is every guarantee that the same thing would happen to her with injuries. Maybe she was always destined to make it to the elite, but the same flaws would have been in place holding her back like it is now.