Emma Raducanu reflects on life after her US Open

Emma Raducanu said she has come to accept the challenges that followed her U.S. Open title in 2021, explaining that the highs of winning a Grand Slam at 18 were always going to be followed by difficult periods.

Raducanu was asked at the Australian Open how she reflects on her Grand Slam results since winning the U.S. Open as a qualifier.

“That night in New York a few years ago, if someone had said that your next 13 Slams you’re only going to reach the second week once, I think you’d be kind of surprised,” she was told.

Raducanu said the context of that breakthrough matters.

“I think if you also would’ve said when I was 18 that I would be winning that night, I don’t think anyone would expect that either,” she said. “With that achievement, you’re inevitably gonna have the same level of, kind of, low. It was too high to just be going on so early.”

She added that she has learned to accept what came next.

“I think I’ve accepted that,” Raducanu said. “All the challenges I’ve faced since and figuring things out, learning by mistakes, learning through experiences… all of those things were in a way gonna happen when you win a Slam at 18 from qualies ranked 350 in the world two months before.”

Raducanu said she feels she is still figuring out what works for her, particularly at the majors.

“I learned a lot for sure,” she said. “There are many iterations going on. I’m slowly figuring out what works for me. At the Slams I think I’m doing better. A few times I had really tough draws as well.”

Looking back, she also acknowledged how unusual her U.S. Open run was.

“My form those three weeks was unbelievable,” Raducanu said. “It’s a give and take. But I’ve accepted it.”