Emma Raducanu takes the bus incognito, hits the gym and makes good progress as Brit steps up injury recovery
Emma Raducanu had to forego participating in the French Open, Wimbledon, and other important tournaments this year as she took the necessary time to address persistent wrist issues that had been troubling her since last season.
The 2021 US Open champion went through what she described as minor surgery to remove bone spurs on her wrists, which had likely been causing her pain for the past eight months.
She also underwent a minor ankle procedure to resolve the recurring issues that have plagued her since her extraordinary Grand Slam title triumph at Flushing Meadows.
Emma Raducanu took to Instagram on Friday (July 28) to update her fans on her injury recovery. The Brit shared photos of herself riding a bus incognito, eating a caterpillar cake named 'Colin' as a reward for her workouts, and so on.
The Brit appeared happy with the "progress" she had made in the gym, captioning her instagram post:
"A week of what the t-shirt says…daily workouts with rush hr commutes meant i cheated on colin."
The 20-year-old will be back in action during the off-season in December after signing up for a new exhibition event in Macau, China. The invitational mixed-gender tournament will be held at the East Asian Games Dome, and several other top players have already confirmed their participation.
Billie Jean King reacts to Emma Raducanu calling the WTA Tour "completely brutal"
Emma Raducanu recently spoke with The Sunday Times, saying that the emotions were too much for her at times when she was recovering from her wrist injury. The British tennis player revealed that she had to put up a brave front to keep going and proclaimed that the WTA Tour is brutal if one makes any mistakes.
"I am very young and still learning and making mistakes. It is a lot harder when you are making mistakes in front of everyone and everyone has something to say about it. The tour is completely brutal," she said.
Billie Jean King responded to Emma Raducanu's remarks in an interview with CNN, saying that it was important for the Brit to ask for help when she needed it. The American icon felt that the difficulties were just a part of being a professional athlete in a highly competitive sport like tennis.
"Being a pro-athlete is hard. What do they expect? It is going to be difficult, but you’ve chosen to be a professional athlete. With that goes certain things that you have to look at. It’s competitive," Billie Jean King said.
"You have to ask for help if you need it. We [athletes] are used to stiff upper lip, be tough. No. On the court maybe, but off the court, you need help. Ask for what you want and need," she added.