Emma Raducanu has slipped from 31st to 96th in the WTA rankings after a period of inactivity. The young Brit has not played a match in around three months, with injuries taking their toll since just before Wimbledon. She did not feature at the All England Club and was also sidelined for the US Open, the tournament she won five years ago.
Agassi Autobiography as Inspiration
In a recent interview with Uniqlo, Raducanu explained that she has been reading Andre Agassi's autobiography, focusing on how he recovered from setbacks. "[The book] describes what Agassi was up to and how he built his career in startling detail," she said.
"I was especially intrigued by the passage where he got out of his slump in the late 1990s by creating his own training regimen and finding his way back to the top. It speaks in depth about his early successes and the lows he reached perhaps as a result of them. A lot of it was so relatable."
Uncertain Return to Court
Raducanu was expected to return at the upcoming China Open, but her name quietly dropped off the entry list earlier this week. As a result, it is not known when she will be able to start working her way back up the rankings.
Asked what she hopes to achieve over the next year or so, Raducanu said: "Athletes have such short careers. I'm going to keep doing my best and enjoying the process to the fullest. Of course I have concrete goals, but what matters most is focusing on each day at a time. If you obsess over results and put too much pressure on yourself, things tend not to go so well."
Reflections on US Open Glory
Reflecting on winning the US Open at age 18, Raducanu said: "I was a bit stunned myself, since I was 18 at the time. I'm not sure I fully understood the way this fit in with the Grand Slam. It's led to more chances and connections than I could ever have imagined."
"It's like a dream, though the expectations and the judgment have got more and more intense. At times it's been a heavy load. I've learned all kinds of things and I'm much stronger than before. I'm still growing, of course. I guess you could say I've gained the power to face whatever's coming next."
