After a sudden, dizzying ascent, Emma Raducanu now faces a tougher, far longer climb. When discussing the fragility of success in sport, the former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once described confidence as going “up by the stairs and down by the lift”. In many ways, it is the reverse of Raducanu’s last 12 months, with her stunning victory in New York last September followed by a challenging debut year, culminating in her first-round defeat to Alize Cornet as she began her US Open defence.
It is true now, though, of what Raducanu approaches as she attempts to build herself back.
