As the clay-court swing began to gather momentum at the Madrid Open last April, things were not quite right with Great Britain’s best female tennis player. During her pre-tournament press conference, Emma Raducanu refused to engage at all with the reporters. She was short and abrupt, batting away questions with as much force as her vicious two-handed backhand.
It turned out that she had plenty on her mind. The next day she withdrew from the tournament due to injury and announced she would take an indefinite leave from the tour as her injuries healed. She then underwent three surgeries, one on each hand plus one on her left ankle. Her team initially hoped she would be back before the end of the year.
