Rafael Nadal and Emma Raducanu might be at opposite ends of their respective tennis careers but parallels can be drawn between their early years.
Both are supremely talented players who shot to superstardom by winning a Grand Slam as a youngster. Both fell victim to the misfortune of injury early in their careers. And both are now making their way back from extended injury breaks under a glaring spotlight.
For Raducanu, her shining moment famously came at the 2021 US Open, where, at the age of 18, she became the first qualifier to win a major title – achieved without dropping a set. Blue-chip sponsors clamoured to be associated with sport's newest sensation, and overnight Raducanu became one of the most marketable athletes on the planet.
But the next two years on the court were not kind to Raducanu. Struggling under the weight of expectation and dealing with a litany of injury issues, the Briton slid back down the rankings and called time on her 2023 season at the end of April after undergoing surgery on her ankle and both wrists.
Of all professional tennis players, few can empathise with Raducanu's setbacks more than Nadal. He may have amassed 22 Grand Slam titles and set a host of unbreakable records, but his has been a career significantly disrupted by injury. The most recent, a hip injury, was deemed severe enough to require surgery that kept the Spaniard on the sidelines for close to a full year.
Returning from such lengthy absences is a gradual process. Players need time not only to get their fitness up to speed, but to rediscover their touch and feel on the court, their game management, and how to deal with pressure moments and swings in momentum.
In that regard, both Raducanu and Nadal are showing encouraging
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