Emma Raducanu battles her physical limits in the harsh glare of elite tennis

30.04.2023 - 07:17 theguardian.com

A s the players settled in Madrid for the fourth ATP Masters 1000 event of the season, one competitor was extremely unsettled.

In her pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, Emma Raducanu entered the room determined to keep every response as short as possible.

One-word answers were preferred. Her day’s work came in at 58 words. Eventually, the moderator recognised the futility of continuing and aborted her media briefing.

The spectacle was concerning. The past 18 months have been difficult for various reasons and Britain’s young hope has become increasingly guarded, but the positive perspective she had tried to exude in public for much of this period was gone.

tennis Sporting Emma Raducanu Britain Usa Madrid

Andrew Richardson, the coach that guided Emma Raducanu to her US Open win, has revealed how he was told in a «brief call» that his work with the British No. 1 would not be continuing. When the two parted ways shortly after the tournament, it was initially reported that Richardson had left on his accord as he was more interested in coaching his son in tennis.

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Let’s stop being paternalistic and give Emma Raducanu a break – she’s earned it

T he Wimbledon championships are still two months away, but already they have shed a little stardust with the news that Emma Raducanu will not be taking part. As the only tennis tournament that many Brits follow – yet commit to with an unhinged devotion – Wimbledon’s fan experience involves debating the merits of whoever happens to be its current darling-cum-human-sacrifice. On Wednesday Raducanu, a recent holder of that position, posted a picture to Instagram from her hospital bed, revealing the treatment to both hands (and an ankle) that will keep her out of competition for the rest of the summer.