© Getty Images Sport – Graham Denholm
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu is turning 21 today and seemingly she is now approaching and handling certain things differently than in the past after experiencing very brutal criticism and scrutiny. When Raducanu showed up on the tennis scene in 2021, she instantly drew positive attention to herself by reaching the Wimbledon round-of-16 as an 18-year-old teenager in her Grand Slam debut.
But no one was ready for what happened two months later, when Raducanu made tennis history and became the first-ever tennis player to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier. During those three weeks in New York, Raducanu claimed a total of 10 wins – all in straight sets en route to winning the US Open.
Raducanu’s tennis and charismatic figure quickly made her one of the most popular tennis players and also became one of the most talked about players in British media. But when Raducanu’s results went downhill and the Briton started to struggle with injuries, the Briton experienced the brutal side of fame – she quickly became one of the most criticized and scrutinized players in Britain and outside her nation.
After dealing with poor form and injuries and injuries for quite some time, Raducanu decided to have surgery on each wrist and also her right ankle.
Raducanu is ‘a more withdrawn figure’ these days
Since May, Raducanu has been posting updates on her recovery but not really revealing too much or making any concrete statements, or giving big predictions about her return.
In recent times, Raducanu has been practicing and working out at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. In an article that The Daily Mail published over the weekend, it was said that Raducanu is now “a more withdrawn figure.” “Insiders report that she cuts a more withdrawn figure these days while going about her business,” Mike Dickson of The Daily Mail wrote.
After experiencing heavy criticism and scrutiny over a longer period, Raducanu putting a protective shell around her shouldn’t really be surprising. Raducanu is working on returning at the start of the 2024 season but she seems to be willing to miss additional time if she doesn’t feel fully fit and healthy. It will also be interesting to see if Raducanu will have “a more withdrawn figure” when she returns to the WTA Tour.
