Emma Raducanu will feel quietly confident that this year could be the first since 2021 where she has a real run at the US Open title.
And whilst she is far from a favourite, the form she has exhibited across 2025 should fill her with so much confidence, particularly if she is to face some of the world’s best players.
Her performances throughout the year have been steadily building towards a breakthrough moment, and it’d be unwise to bet against it happening in New York, the site of the greatest triumph of her career.
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Looking back upon that moment, where she emerged from qualifying to win the title, she spoke with great honesty about the benefits and the negatives that such a stunning and unexpected win brought.
She even told Sky Sports just how close she feels to recapturing that level right now.
Emma Raducanu compares her current level to her 2021 US Open title run
Asked to describe her feelings from 2021 heading into that event, Emma Raducanu admitted: “Yeah, I think, you know, that Emma didn’t really go through anything, so, in a way, I was very inexperienced, but it helped me. I didn’t know any real negativity, any of what could have potentially come and did come.”
The 22-year-old has been the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism since that title, with many expecting her to maintain that impossible level in the years following.
A loss of form and fitness saw her lambasted for years, with this being the first season where she has finally seemed settled and moving in the right direction.
Raducanu then compared herself now to the player she was back then, continuing: “So now, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to that exact kind of state of mind, but I think I’m honestly feeling pretty close in the sense of just coming into this tournament relaxed but enthusiastic and excited to get started.
“Yeah, I mean, amid everything in the first round nerves, I feel as relaxed as I can be.”
How did Emma Raducanu’s form look before winning the 2021 US Open title?
Raducanu’s 2021 season was a strange one, largely spent on the Challenger circuit.
After all, she was just 18 years old, with the tennis world having only heard whispers of her talent.
Naturally, she burst onto the scene at Wimbledon, when she showed brief signs that her subsequent US Open title run was possible by reaching the fourth round.
However, retiring injured at that stage was also a damning indicator of what was to come in the following years too.
Raducanu went on to exit early at the Silicon Valley Classic before losing in the final of the Chicago Challenger.
EventRound reachedDefeated byCincinnati OpenSecond RoundAryna SabalenkaCanadian OpenRound of 32Amanda AnisimovaWashington OpenSemi-finalAnna KalinskayaWimbledonThird RoundAryna SabalenkaEmma Raducanu’s US Open preparation
She had impressed, but by no means was she in the form necessary to win a US Open title.
Inarguably, this year has been far more impressive. It will be really interesting to see how she tackles this event, particularly after Raducanu’s brutal US Open draw was revealed earlier this week.