Emma Raducanu admits the surge in commercial interest she experienced was too much at times and took more energy out of her than expected.
The Brit burst into the limelight three years ago when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon before winning the US Open title as a qualifier. Soon after, her endorsements surged and elevated Raducanu to becoming one of the highest-paid tennis players in the world. According to Forbes Magazine, she was the sixth highest-earning tennis player in the world last year and made an estimated $15m in off-court earnings over 12 months.
On the court, Raducanu’s journey has been more of a roller-coaster consisting of mixed results and injury hampering her rise. However, she has made steady progress in 2024 by rising from outside the top 300 to 57th in the world, winning 21 out of 34 Tour-level matches played.
“Especially straight after I did really well, for the next few years it was very much like there was so much communication about things off the court,” the Press Association quoted Raducanu as saying at the LTA National Tennis Centre on Monday.
“And I would always, always give my 100 per cent on the court. I was always working really hard, but I just think that I wasn’t prepared as well for the other things that inevitably do take some energy out of you.
“I think now I’m a lot more structured. I’ll be like: ‘OK, I have this time where one hour we will talk about business.And now I’m going to go train for the rest of the week’.
“Also I think I’ve learned how to say no a bit more. Initially, I felt really bad for letting people down. I’d always want to do extra for whatever partner or magazine or whatever I’m shooting for.”
Leaning from her previous experiences, the 22-year-old hopes it will help enhance her results on the Tour. Recently, she hired Yutaka Nakamura as her new fitness coach who is a well-known figure in the sport and has previously worked with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka.
One of Nakamura’s goals will be trying to make sure Raduanu stays injury-free. During 2023, she missed most of the season after having surgery on both of her wrists and her left ankle. Then almost three months ago at the Korean Open, she picked up a foot injury that forced her to withdraw from an event in China. She played no more WTA events after the injury but did participate in the Billie Jean King Cup.
“I want to play more than I did this year,” she said. “I think now, with my set-up, I’m in a place where I can continue work on the road. So I don’t necessarily need to come back to continue good physical work.
“I can do it pretty much every day, like microdoses. And I think that’s actually going to be a great addition for me next year, which I’m excited about.”
Should she stay fit, Raducanu is intrigued to see how high she can go in the sport. Despite her talent, she hasn’t featured in a WTA final since winning the US Open three years ago. She was close to ending that drought at the Nottingham Open in June where she reached the semi-finals before losing in three sets to Katie Boulter.
“With my tennis, I’m in a pretty good spot. I feel like I just want to see how much I can do, fulfill my potential,” Raducanu commented. “I’m curious about what my level can get to. I really want to play more. And I think a big part of that is just staying healthy.”
Raducanu will start her 2025 campaign in New Zealand at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
