Emma Raducanu admits there are times when she "wishes she never won the US Open".
The Brit made history when she claimed victory in New York back in 2021. She secured victory at Flushing Meadows having entered as a wildcard, not dropping a set throughout as she beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 in the final.
That success catapulted here into a new stratosphere and Raducanu has struggled to live up to the hype since that historic victory. She shot up the rankings and became a global brand, attracting huge deals off the court. On it though she's tumbled down the rankings and failed to be competitive at a Grand Slam.
Raducanu admits at the time she thought the feeling of winning the US Open could never be topped, but she's since questioned that which has caused her to put some perspective on her achievement and what she's experienced since.
She told The Times: "That moment on the court, when I was celebrating [the US Open win], I was like, I would literally trade any struggle in the world for this moment. Anything can come my way, I will take it for what I have right now because this is the best thing in the world. I promised myself that, on the court that day.
"Since then I've had a lot of setbacks, one after the other. I am resilient, my tolerance is high, but it's not easy. And sometimes I think to myself 'I wish I'd never won the US Open, I wish that didn't happen'. Then I am like, 'remember that feeling, remember that promise', because it was completely pure."
Raducanu hasn't made it past the second round of a Grand Slam since winning the US Open. Injuries have been a major factor whilst she's consistently changed coaches and is now seeking her sixth in two years after recently splitting with Sebastian Sachs.
The 20-year-old missed the French Open and will be a big name absentee at Wimbledon after minor operations on her ankle and hands. Those injuries have been a major battle for Raducanu, who admits she pushed through the pain barriers because she couldn't bare to be deemed weak.
She said: “The pain [in the wrists] escalated last summer after Wimbledon,” she said. “I started with a new coach and I was really motivated to get going. We were overtraining, a lot of repetition, and I carried on even through pain because I didn’t want to be perceived as weak.
“I was under so much pressure to perform, people had no idea what was going on and I had to have this façade, to keep everything inside. It has been really hard. And then to be scrutinised for it when they don’t know what is going on. 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.”
