Emma Raducanu has shared her thoughts on her summer performance after being eliminated from the US Open last week. The British tennis star advanced to the third round at Flushing Meadows, mirroring her progress at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Raducanu entered the US Open fresh off two victories at the All England Club in July. The 22-year-old kicked off her campaign at Flushing Meadows with a decisive 6-1, 6-2 win over Ena Shibahara.
She then dominated Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-1 in her second match, setting the stage for a face-off with Elena Rybakina. However, Raducanu found it challenging to keep pace with Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who emerged victorious with a 6-1, 6-2 scoreline.
On Sunday evening, Raducanu posted a series of photos from her time in New York on Instagram for her followers. The tennis sensation was pictured with friends, dining out, and taking some much-needed downtime on a bed.
She captioned the post: “A productive summer. Progress over perfection.” Raducanu has been striving to climb back up the ranks in tennis after struggling to make it to the final stages of Grand Slams in recent years due to a series of injuries.
The gifted player made headlines when she won the US Open in 2021 at just 18. And if her Instagram caption is any indication, she believes she’s heading in the right direction.
“I think when the very top players play against me, they have a point to prove that they’re at the top, and they’re there for a reason,” Raducanu said after her US Open departure. “I think every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown that.
“So while I’m improving, doing better, gaining maybe some more respect around, I think the top have definitely raised their game.”
On the topic of her own improvements, she elaborated: “Developing my serve is important – it has got better but I think it can be even better.
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“The ball after the serve as well, so I’m ready for a fast return, that’s where I have some big work to do. Once I’m in the rally I feel okay but against Elena I barely felt I was in a rally. Starting the point is extremely important at that level.”
She concluded: “I can play top opponents in the first, second, or third round. So I’ve just got to do my best in the next few months until Australia to just keep working to try and close the gap.”