Emma Raducanu gets new verdict on brutal season after skipping fifth tournament in a row
Emma Raducanu has not played a match in more than a month.
Laura Robson has had her say on Emma Raducanu’s tough situation after the 21-year-old pulled out of a fifth tournament in a row. Raducanu has not played a match since retiring injured in the Korea Open quarter-final more than a month ago. The Brit had been targeting a return in Hong Kong next week but recently announced that she wasn’t ready despite making progress.
Raducanu had set her sights on having a strong Asian swing but she played just one tournament before getting injured. The former US Open champion had to forfeit her Korea Open quarter-final and later discovered she sprained ligaments in her foot.
The Brit has since missed the WTA 1000 in Beijing, Wuhan Open qualifying, and tournaments in Ningbo, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. She has played just two tournaments since July. While the second half of her season has been disappointing, Laura Robson has pointed out how successful Raducanu’s comeback has been despite being forced to spend time on the sidelines.
“When you think about the months that she’s missed, to climb to the ranking she is now, it’s actually impressive,” the retired British tennis star told Sky Sports. Raducanu ended her 2023 season in May to have three surgeries. When she returned this year, she was ranked No. 301 in the world and has since climbed to No. 55 thanks to some strong performances at tournaments like Wimbledon, Nottingham and Stuttgart.
But Robson understands that the tennis world is keen to see Raducanu compete more often. She continued: “In that respect, she’s done really well. “I think everyone, including her, would like to see it happen more often.
“It’s all about figuring out what works for you and maybe she just got unlucky over the last few weeks because that would have been a run of four or five events in a row, which would have been great, but then you pick up one little injury or niggle and you have got to start again all the time.”
The world No. 55 has also chosen to limit her schedule at times. She skipped the Olympics to focus on the North American hard-court swing and it seemed to pay off when she reached the Washington quarter-final.
But when she failed to get wildcards into the WTA 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati, she went home to practice and chose not to enter qualifying. Raducanu didn’t play again until the US Open, where she lost in the first round and tearfully expressed regret over not playing more in the lead-up.
Robson has been encouraged by Raducanu’s realisation that she needs to compete more, adding: “When you have the opportunity to play, she’s now realised that that’s the way forward and if you can play back-to-back weeks then go for it.”
Raducanu is currently hoping to be ready for Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals tie next month. If she fails to recover in time, she will next be in action in 2025.
