Confirmation that Emma Raducanu has secured a direct entry to next month’s US Open vindicates two of her more contentious calls in recent weeks, namely skipping French Open qualifying and opting against playing at the Olympic Games.
Both decisions were greeted with scepticism by critics, but her return to the top 100 of the WTA Rankings after her fine run on grass courts is evidence that she is making the right decisions for her career and not following a narrative others want to write for her.
Raducanu needed a wild card to enter Wimbledon this month, but her impressive performances on grass courts confirmed she is on her way back to the top of the game. A run to the semi-final of the Nottingham Open was backed up by impressive wins against Sloane Stephens and Jessica Pegula on her way to the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Eastbourne.
Former British No. 1 Johanna Konta has backed Raducanu for making bold decisions in her career, with her success on grass courts confirming she is making the right calls. Konta said, “I think this is where Emma’s really good and very mature. She has a thought, she has a direction in mind, and she goes for it and she makes the decision, and I think that’s a very mature approach for a young player.”
Konta continued, “I really admire her for her conviction in how she goes about deciding things for her career. She will start winning these matches more and more and I think that’s where your deep-rooted confidence in you as a competitor and you as a player and what you can do out there, how you can problem solve, really comes from.”
Raducanu would only need to win a handful of matches in the upcoming US hardcourt swing to get back into the top 50 of the WTA Rankings, with her return to the top end of the women’s game certain to be welcomed by all in the sport.
Emma Raducanu in 2024
LWWLLWWLWW Ranked world no.94, Raducanu played her last match on the 7th of July when she lost to world no.53 LuluAnke Sun 6-2 5-7 6-2 in the 4th round in Wimbledon (draw).
This season Raducanu owns a compiled 16-10 match record. Emma Raducanu’s most significant accomplishment of this season was getting to the semifinal in Nottingham.
Emma Raducanu will come up against the world no.49 Viktoriya Tomova in the final. Their actual record is 1-0 for Tomova.
Emma Raducanu |
| Embed from Getty Images |
