Emma Raducanu has opened up on her struggles throughout the 2022 season. The 20-year-old admitted she struggled to cope with the physical demands of the sport following her first full season on the WTA Tour.
She withdrew from a number of tournaments due to fitness issues and only made one semi-final appearance this year. The demands and expectations placed on her shoulders after winning the 2021 US Open in extraordinary fashion was very overwhelming for the youngster.
In an interview with SheerLuxe , Raducanu revealed her New Year resolutions and discussed shaking off her injury woes. “I just want to stay healthier for longer,” she said. “This year, the demands of the tour, going from having no training or stamina to being thrown into competing at the top level, my body has struggled.
“So, I’ll be working hard to keep my body in good shape and improving. If you want a ‘resolution’ it’s probably to be consistent. Put in the work, day in, day out.” In a bid to be ready for the physical challenges tennis will pose next year, she has been working hard in the off-season with fitness coach Jez Green. She detailed her average day in the gym as she works to get physically stronger for 2023.
“Most days start with what we call muscle activation with my physio,” she added. “It’s common to wake up feeling stiffer or tighter in some places, and it’s nice to get someone to loosen that off for you – they can do it better as they know what they’re doing. Afterwards I do an actual physical warm-up and then my session, whether that’s tennis or in the gym. For the last two months, I’ve been focusing more on the gym.
“Then it’s time for lunch, followed by another warm-up and more training. At the end of the day, it’s all about recovery and treatment, both of which become more important the more hours you put into your training.” Raducanu’s Flushing Meadows triumph transformed her into a megastar overnight - as she was splashed all over the newspapers and became the face for some of the world’s biggest brands.
The tennis star opened up about the media attention she has received over the last year and how she has responded to the volume of coverage on her.
“Professionally speaking, I’m very proud of my resilience this year. I’ve faced quite a bit of adversity and I’ve had to keep getting back up a lot,” the Bromley local added. “So much stuff is said about me that isn’t true, but I try not to let it affect me. The past year has meant getting used to that side of things – the publicity and hearing all these things I never even knew about myself! The attention on the tour is so intense.”
Raducanu will start her 2023 WTA season at the ASB Women’s Classic in Auckland, New Zealand on January 2, joining world No. 7 Coco Gauff, former US Open champion Sloane Stephens, and Leylah Fernandez in a stacked field.
