Emma Raducanu has something in common with fellow tennis star Bianca Andreescu after struggling for form after winning a major tournament.
Like the Bromley local, the 22-year-old was a surprise winner of the US Open, beating the legendary Serena Williams in the 2019 final. Since their respective victories at Flushing Meadows, the players have struggled with injury and the pressure that came with winning one of the sport’s biggest trophies.
After the pair faced off at the Miami Open, Andreescu expressed her willingness to speak to Raducanu about the parallels that exist between their experiences. “I would love to talk to her about just like what happened after the US Open” the Canadian said.
“All the success, all the media stuff like that, how she dealt with it, how I dealt with it, how we can maybe help each other in that way. Also, I know that we both haven't been having, I guess, the results we wanted. I don't want to speak on behalf of her but I'm sure she wants to do better than she is. And maybe we could just kind of help each other out in that sense.”
Andresscu suffered a serious knee injury following her success four years ago and wanted to quit the sport altogether during the Coronavirus pandemic. She acknowledges that her journey has been even more complex than that of the Brit. “I played a few tournaments after that but then I got injured," says Andreescu. “I didn't play anything for a really long time.
“I mean, Covid hit and I was just not in a good place. Not playing a lot of tennis, because of the lockdowns and stuff like that. It's just really complicated. It was honestly me wanting to figure out if I really want to continue playing tennis because I was literally about to just drop my rackets and just say 'Screw this', because I wasn't happy at all and I wasn't happy basically for the full year of 2021. I thought that if I continue like this, it's just going to get worse.
“So I was like, 'Okay, let's take a break'. Hopefully that helps. And it really did. My heart did grow fonder for the sport, and now I appreciate it in a much different way than I did before.” Andreescu's hard work and patience paid off as she reached the semi-finals of the Hua Hin Championships in February and she will contest her round of 16 match with Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Miami Open on Monday night.
Her campaign began by defeating Raducanu in a thrilling opening round match at the Hard Rock stadium last week. The clash saw the former US Open champions showcase the form that won them their maiden Grand Slam titles in an entertaining three-set contest.
Raducanu, 20, lost 6-3 3-6 6-2 in a hard-fought match where a single break won the first two sets. The decider was initially tight before Andreescu reeled off the last four games to seal the win. Post match, after feeling some discomfort in her wrist, Raducanu said she needs to find a long-term solution to her fitness problems.
"I just need to review after this tournament really and figure out what my next steps are," she commented. "We have been managing it, keeping on top of it. I'm able to play in the short term. But the current solutions aren't very viable long term."
