Identifying the factors behind Emma Raducanu's post-US Open slump

Britain’s tennis star Emma Raducanu has admitted that his performance in the second half of the season was not up to the mark. The 22-year-old was once regarded as the one for the future, especially when she lifted the US Open at the age of 18 in 2021.

The most impressive aspect of that triumph was the fact that Raducanu started the competition through the qualifying round and still managed to go all the way and secure the ultimate prize after beating Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

Since then, however, things have not been easy for the former world number 10, largely because of fitness concerns. She returned to the court earlier this year after spending nearly 12 months on the sidelines. Raducanu was in contention to win the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award to Spain’s Paula Badosa. The one-time Grand Slam winner has been recently quoted in a report where she talked in detail about her season. Raducanu admitted that the second half of the season was not good enough for her, which was the primary reason why she ended up missing out on the award.

"Yeah, I think I started the year off pretty well for the first half, you know up to Wimbledon,” she said. “Then I struggled a little bit more with my body I think physically. Wasn't able to play the full calendar and stay on court as much as I would have liked. But my assessment is, you, I think sometimes I need reminding, I'm top 60 in the world and I have played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of, in a way. I have to pat myself on the back for that. I know I'm a dangerous player. I know no one wants to pull my names in the draw. I take pride in that, and I'm looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year.”