"Hope to see her healthy and back on the court soon" - Billie Jean King wishes Emma Raducanu on her 20th birthday
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu was showered with wishes from her peers, friends, fans and the tennis community on social media as she turned 20 on November 13. Among those to wish her was American tennis legend Billie Jean King.
The 12-time Grand Slam singles champion took to Twitter to wish the British star on her big day and hoped to see her fit and healthy on the tennis court soon.
Sharing a photo of herself with Raducanu, the 78-year-old wrote:
"Happy birthday to the 2021 @usopen Women's Singles champion, @EmmaRaducanu ! She is the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam. 🎉 Hope to see her healthy and back on the court soon."
Happy birthday to the 2021 @usopen Women's Singles champion, @EmmaRaducanu! She is the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam. 🎉
Hope to see her healthy and back on the court soon. https://t.co/FJMbc4a7pv
Emma Raducanu's journey after becoming the first qualifier to win a Major at the 2021 US Open hasn't been easy. Injuries, illness, inconsistency and frequent change of coaches have derailed the youngster when everyone expected her to build on her Grand Slam breakthrough.
She finished the season ranked 75th after peaking at No. 10 in July of this year. Out of the 36 matches that she has contested this year, she won just 17 while succumbing to 19 losses.
The Brit played 18 tour-level events, with her best performances being a semifinal finish in Seoul and a couple of quarterfinals in Stuttgart and Washington DC.
Her US Open title defense ended in the first round itself against French veteran Alize Cornet. In the other three Slams, she failed to progress beyond the second round.
that’s it 22!
on my own route, it’s all part of this unique journey! Thumbs up to first year on tour #backtofront 🤣 https://t.co/DLegV0HLYI
A longstanding wrist injury forced her to withdraw from the British squad for the ongoing Billie Jean Cup and that ended her 2022 season.
Billie Jean King asks Emma Raducanu not to take any criticism to heart
Emma Raducanu's poor results and her coaching decisions haven't gone down well with a section of fans on social media. The young star was frequently subjected to severe criticism throughout the year.
However, she has found a supporter in Billie Jean King, who has advised her not to pay heed to what her detractors are saying. In a recent interview with The Herald Scotland, the American icon said:
"First of all, you can’t pay attention to what anyone says about you. And don’t take anything personally."
King is also optimistic that Raducanu will soon get the "right person" whom she can completely trust and listen to:
"But then you’ve got to find the right person to talk to. And that’s the hard part because everyone has an opinion. It’s important for her to find out what she wants in life. She needs to search her own soul."
Raducanu will be hoping for an improved 2023 season upon her return from injury.