Raducanu “not too concerned” about tournament results this year

Given the clamour of criticism that often descends on Emma Raducanu whenever she loses a tennis match, it would be understandable if silencing her detractors was the Briton’s top priority.

However, not one to buckle to the whims of a baying crowd, the ever level-headed Raducanu is opting instead to block out the noise in favour of a longer-term focus on developing her game – both physically and technically.

Having so spectacularly won the 2021 US Open champion as a teenage qualifier – something which she has since said was both a gift and a curse – Raducanu has struggled for both form and fitness in the two-and-a-half intervening years.

She is currently still working her way back from an eight-month injury lay-off during which she required surgery on both wrists and her ankle.

Despite these struggles, there have been numerous promising and memorable performances at various tournaments over the past two seasons.

Particularly impressive was Raducanu’s run to the fourth round of Indian Wells last year, despite having only recently recovered from a bad bout of tonsillitis and struggling with the recurrent wrist issue for which she ultimately required surgery.

raducanu returns to indian wells after impressive 2023 run

Twelve months on, and Raducanu returns to a tournament that suits her game well, with the wrist issue rectified and a clear plan for the season in mind.

“I want to work on becoming a better tennis player,” she said in an interview with BBC Sport in California.

“I think for me I’m not too concerned about this year’s tournaments.

“A lot of people out there would say that I need matches, but I think that for me I want to work on my game and development.

“Taking time to do that is very necessary and not just following the crowd, or playing a lot of matches, or dropping down [to challenger level] to do that. I want to work on developing skills.”

For a player whose only title remains a Grand Slam, the back-to-front nature of her career so far has proved as much of a help as it has a hindrance.

Developing her game at a slow and steady pace from here on in feels like a very sensible approach for Raducanu – a player still only 21 years of age.

“It’s just a bit of a journey for me, I would say, you don’t really know what to expect after being out for eight months,” she explained.

“I felt like because I was so go-go-go since December, I felt like I became a little fatigued, so it was good to go back, freshen up and practise for the American swing, which I’m a big fan of.”

Raducanu – a wildcard in California – will open her Indian Wells campaign against Rebeka Masarova of Spain in the first round.

The Briton’s current win-loss record since returning from her eight-month absence is 3-4, an admirable return given the length of time she spent out of action.

On the slower courts of Indian Wells – and in a country where she achieved her greatest success – Raducanu will be hoping to improve on that record with a good run in the desert as she seeks to kickstart both her comeback and her career.

But so long as she is developing her game sufficiently, win or lose, Raducanu will – for the time being – be staying relatively happy.

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