EMMA RADUCANU ‘BUILDING A GOOD BIG PICTURE’ AFTER RECENT STRUGGLES

Emma Raducanu has shrugged off the debate surrounding the number of wildcards that she has received in recent months as she is determined to prove her worth following her recent struggles.

With her ranking currently outside the top 50, Raducanu received a wildcard entry for this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships to take her tally to 13 in her last 18 tournaments.

The 2021 US Open winner remains one of the most followed women’s tennis players on the WTA Tour and she was also handed wildcards for the Abu Dhabi Open and the Qatar Open, but she didn’t make the most of those gifts as she lost in the first round at both events.

In fact, she was on a four-match losing streak ahead of her Dubai opener against Maria Sakkari as she also lost in the first round of the Singapore Tennis Open and the third round of the Australian Open.

But she finally ended that run with a straight-set victory over former world No 3 Sakkari.

“I’m very appreciative, very grateful for all the wildcards I’ve received the last few weeks. I just really wanted to fight, do my best,” Raducanu told The National.

Following Nick Cavaday’s decision to step down as her coach after the Australian Open to focus on his health, the 22-year-old only had her mother and fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura with her in Singapore while long-term mentor Jane O’Donoghue joined team in Qatar.

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O’Donoghue, whom she describes as “a big sister”, received a big hug after her win over Sakkari and her support staff has been crucial to helping her to get over her current blip.

“I think something really important has been having amazing people around me. Jane, who I’ve known forever, she’s like a big sister to me. And Yutaka as well, their belief is unwavering, even though yours might quiver a little bit from time to time.

“But I haven’t lost to bad players. Ekaterina [Alexandrova] went on and made semis [in Doha] and Marketa [Vondrousova, whom she lost to in Abu Dhabi] is a class opponent as well.

“So I have to put things in perspective and just try take care of my day and stay consistent and not let it run away from me.”

Her work with Nakamura, who joined her camp at the end of the 2024 season, is already starting to pay off.

“That’s one thing that I’m improving, my athleticism. The work is paying off on that side of it. I’m looking forward for the tennis side also coming together and then I feel like I’m building a good big picture,” she explained.

2025-02-18T21:32:18Z