Emma Raducanu says she is quite proud of herself as she insists she knew this season was going to be pretty tricky. Raducanu, 19, was the 150th-ranked player in the world when she won the US Open last year. Raducanu rocketed into the top-25 after the US Open and in two weeks she went from a promising teenager to a tennis superstar.
Raducanu is playing her first full season on the WTA Tour and she has faced many challenges throughout the year. “This year was always going to be pretty tricky, trying to find my feet at this sort of level,” Raducanu said, per Tennis365.
“I skipped every stage basically. I went from playing a few [ITF] 25s to playing the Top 10 [in WTA 250s, 500s and 1000s], playing the slams and everything. Still managed to win a round or two in some bigger events. I’m quite proud of myself in that way.
I’ve learnt that I’m pretty resilient. I’ve pretty much been knocked down every single week literally in front of everyone, get back up every single time. It’s just a fun learning experience for me”.
Raducanu kicks off her US Open series
This week, Raducanu will play her first tournament of the North American hard court swing. In Washington, Raducanu is set to debut as she plays Louisa Chirico in the first round. After Washington, Raducanu is expected to compete at WTA 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Then, Raducanu’s title defence at the US Open starts. Raducanu hasn’t had a great season so far as she has been struggling with her game and physical issues. But Raducanu impressed in the United States last season and she will certainly be hoping to enjoy a big summer on hard courts. It remains to be seen how far can Raducanu go in her Washington debut.
