NEW YORK — Emma Raducanu completed up observe on the US Open on Friday by hitting with a younger lady she requested followers on social media to assist her discover after they couldn’t join a day earlier.
Raducanu is again on the event she surprisingly gained three years in the past, and she or he shrugs off questions on whether or not she’s performed sufficient matches to be prepared for it.
Her 2021 US Open title continues to be Raducanu’s just one on the WTA Tour, and she or he didn’t even play in Flushing Meadows final yr due to accidents. The 21-year-old from England has performed fewer than 30 matches this yr and handed up possibilities to be extra energetic, however doesn’t second-guess her preparation for the ultimate Grand Slam of the season.
“Even after I gained the US Open, I solely performed a couple of tournaments that yr,” Raducanu mentioned. “Sure, they had been nearer collectively, however I’m not in any massive rush to play these. I believe I’d quite goal tournaments and play the tournaments that I’m entered in.”
After shedding within the fourth spherical of Wimbledon in July in her house Grand Slam, Raducanu selected to not play within the Olympics and made only one look on the North American hard-court swing, shedding within the third spherical in Washington.
She determined to not play in Canada — the place she was born and holds a passport — after which opted to return to Britain to observe, quite than try and play any extra tournaments forward of her return to New York, the place she’s going to face the 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin within the first spherical.
Whereas some gamers crave match time, Raducanu mentioned that simply isn’t her.
“I don’t assume I’ll ever be the participant who’s enjoying, like, near 30 occasions a yr,” she mentioned. “I believe that’s not my fashion. It by no means has been.”
She couldn’t play too many in 2023, lacking the second half of the yr after present process surgical procedure on each wrists and an ankle. So her solely look on the U.S. Open after changing into the primary participant to return by way of qualifying to win a Grand Slam event in 2021 was a first-round loss to Alize Cornet the next yr.
Raducanu mentioned she feels extra able to play in New York this time and obtained in some further observe Friday with a 7-year-old fan who had watched her a day earlier and yelled out that Raducanu was her favorite participant. Raducanu apologized on social media later that she needed to rush off after that exercise they usually couldn’t meet, asking followers to assist her discover the lady.
She did Friday and invited the fan right down to hit together with her on the court docket.
“She barely missed a ball and she or he has numerous braveness to sort of go onto the court docket with lots of people watching and begin hitting balls, and it was good to fulfill her and communicate to her,” Raducanu mentioned. “Clearly I felt extremely unhealthy about yesterday however I really feel good and I really feel completely happy that I used to be capable of join together with her right now.”
Raducanu is aware of that critics of her profession decisions query whether or not she’s able to win the U.S. Open. Seeing her identify on the trophy and her image among the many champions on the grounds reminds her she has — and may once more.
“I believe that’s such an epic achievement and these two weeks I accomplished it,” she mentioned. “So for me coming again right here now, I come again with such a unique outlook and simply pleasure and promise, and it conjures up me to need to do extra.”
