As she plans her comeback for 2024, Emma Raducanu has acknowledged that she isn’t placing any pressure on herself to compete at the Olympic Games. The British athlete is returning at the ideal time during an Olympic year after missing time due to surgery earlier this year.
Raducanu is unable to fulfill the standard requirements to represent Team GB in Paris due to her injuries, but since her absence was not her fault, she might still have a strong case.
In a recent interview, Raducanu said: “I didn’t even know I could still play. I was like, There’s no way I can play in the Olympics. I had no idea. Obviously, the Olympics is such a big thing in sports. I think I could play another four if I wanted to. So this one doesn’t have any immediate rush or pressure. I think for me it’s just getting back on the court.”
She added: “I love the Slams but of course, I would want to have the Olympic experience. I’ll just see how it goes, if I even qualify, or how it happens from there.”
However, Raducanu may still argue for special circumstances because her injuries have previously prevented her from representing her country in competition.
Emma Raducanu is hoping to play the Olympics:
"Obviously, the Olympics is such a big thing in sport. I think I could play another four if I really wanted to, so this one isn't the immediate rush or pressure, it's just about getting back on court. I love the Slams but I do want… pic.twitter.com/a5ycK7magd
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 21, 2023
Emma Raducanu in 2023
Ranked no.280, Emma played her last match on the 18th of April when she lost to world no.14 Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-1 in the 1st round in Stuttgart (draw).
Currently, during this year Emma has managed to achieve an overall 5-5 match record.