"I'm slowly getting there" - Emma Raducanu positive about getting back to her best after making tweaks to her game post-Australian Open exit
British tennis star Emma Raducanu has revealed that the changes brought to her game by the post-Australian Open technical tweaks have encouraged her to get back to her best.
Raducanu, the first qualifier (male or female) to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era, has been on a rollercoaster ride since her maiden Major triumph at the 2021 US Open. She battled through injuries for most of the 2023 season.
The Brit skipped the French Open and the grasscourt season after undergoing surgery on her ankle and both her wrists. She made her comeback at the 2024 ASB Classic with the help of a wild card and also participated in the Australian Open with a special ranking of 103.
Raducanu recently told former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli during an interview with Sky Sports that she is slowly making progress to regain her glory.
"I think that now on I am like slowly getting there. It is like little by little you get better and better, then learn something and then you will unlearn something. It is that process. But gradually, over time, you unlearn less of it and you just improve more," Raducanu said.
The British tennis star said the changes in her game after her early exit at the Australian Open have been quite positive. She lost to China's Wang Yafan in the second round of the tournament.
"I think I actually made some tweaks after Australia right before Abu Dhabi and seeing them in the first round match is really a good positive for me because that is a week of practice. We worked really hard but to see us come through, I was really encouraged by that," Raducanu said.
The 21-year-old then explained briefly about the kind of changes that she underwent during the training. She also mentioned that transitioning has been challenging, as it required learning new skills and modifying old ones.
"In the recent months, I have made a few technical tweaks. So, I mean to try and change something technically is actually difficult as well. You start with actually you know hand feeds, baskets and then drilling, then point play and then match play," Raducanu said.
Emma Raducanu has won three matches in 2024 season
Emma Raducanu has won only three matches since making her comeback at the ASB Classic in Auckland last month. She celebrated her return to the tour with a tight three-set win over Romanian qualifier Elena Gabriela-Ruse at the tournament.
Raducanu then lost to Ukraine's Elena Svitolina, who eventually ended as the runner-up. A similar pattern followed in the Australian Open, in which the Brit beat Shelby Rogers in the opening round before losing to Wang Yafan.
Emma Raducanu then competed in the Abu Dhabi Open. She overcame Marie Bouzkova in the Round of 32. However, her journey came to an end at the hands of Ons Jabeur in the next round.