"I'm pretty resilient, I've pretty much been knocked down every single week and get back up every single time" - Emma Raducanu ahead of her 1R match at the Citi Open
Emma Raducanu has said that she has discovered that she is fairly resilient and that she has been knocked down frequently but has always stood back up.
After failing to live up to expectations, Raducanu will finally make a comeback in the WTA 250 tournament at the Citi Open, which gets underway in Washington, D.C. on August 1.
In light of this, Raducanu was recently questioned about the lessons she learned following her triumph at the US Open during a press conference before her first-round match. The Brit said that she had discovered that she was "pretty resilient" and had accomplished a lot for a 19-year-old over the previous year.
"Yeah, I would say that, take away the US Open, the results I've had in the past year wouldn't have been terrible for any 18-, 19-year-old," Raducanu said, adding, "I have to take a step back and give myself a pat on the back, as well. 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."
Emma Raducanu also mentioned how challenging this year had been and how proud she was of herself for overcoming the obstacles.
"This year was always going to be pretty tricky, trying to find my feet at this sort of level, " Raducanu said, adding, "I skipped every stage basically. I went from playing a few 25s to playing the top 10 or 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."
Emma Raducanu will play Marie Bouzkova and Harriet Dart will play Zhu Lin in the first round in Washington.
"I think it was a great opportunity to trial him" - Emma Raducanu on her new coach
Raducanu has joined hands with coach Dmitry Tursunov. The Daily Mail reported that Tursunov will be paired with her at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. If their first outing goes well, they will stick together for the duration of the North American hardcourt swing.
In light of this, Emma Raducanu saved a few words for her new coach, saying it was a fantastic chance to test him out and that they will see how it develops.
"Since, like, Miami I didn't really, like, have a coach, I sort of took a period to just settle," Raducanu said. "I didn't want to rush into anything. It's just a trial week here. I think it was a great opportunity to trial him, so that's what we're doing. Yeah, see how it goes."
The 2022 Citi Open seedings have been made public, and Emma Raducanu is placed second in her tournament debut. The World No. 10 was given the most difficult matchup among the top seeds when she was paired with Marie Bouzkova, who is a Wimbledon quarterfinalist.
Bouzkova has since withdrawn from the tournament, however, so Raducanu will face American Louisa Chirico instead.