Emma Raducanus' all-or-nothing tennis career shows signs of stabilization

WIMBLEDON With Emma Raducanu it often seems like it's all about expectations.

Expectations of winning a Grand Slam at 18, qualifying to win the 2021 US Open; expectations of being 21, outside the world’s top 100, with five major match wins since the start of 2022. The most recent of those came at Wimbledon on Monday, when she defeated Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazua in straight sets, 7-6(0), 6-3.

These two things don’t necessarily fit together until it’s time to look beyond a story that has followed Raducanu since that 2021 triumph, that of a player who has had the most make-or-break career imaginable. Since that utterly ridiculous feat almost three years ago, she’s been incredibly unlucky with injuries last year, missing eight months after requiring two surgeries on her wrists and one on her ankle. Her current ranking of No. 135 is deceptively low as a result, and she didn’t play at Wimbledon last year, instead attending the tournament to make hospitality appearances.

If Raducanu’s career has been one of bloom and decline, she now seems to need the peace of stability and perhaps even more the opportunity to free herself from expectations in favor of a more sustainable development than has occurred thus far. A proper run at Wimbledon 2024 would in some ways be detrimental to that, given the hysteria it would undoubtedly generate in her home country, but it would be invaluable in regaining the confidence and fearlessness she showed at Flushing Meadows three years ago. Raducanu has not advanced beyond the second round of a Grand Slam since winning the US Open, and if she could make a deep run at Wimbledon this year, it would rightly be hailed as a major step forward. What’s different now is that it’s the forward part that matters more than the size of the step.

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So far, the tennis gods seem to be kind to Raducanu at SW19. She may feel it's the least they can do after such a terrible run of injuries.

She is already in an open section of the draw and on Monday her scheduled first-round opponent, the 22nd-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, withdrew due to illness. Zarazua, a 26-year-old 5ft 3in (157cm) Mexican, stepped in and made her Wimbledon main-draft debut. It was also a challenge for Raducanu, who had said before the match that she was the underdog against the seeded Alexandrova, a status that had suited her so well at the US Open. The psychology changed completely when her original opponent withdrew and Raducanu admitted afterwards that she was nervous in the early exchanges against her new opponent.

The first set was in line with the erratic play of the British. She led with a break, but immediately gave up and ended up in a tiebreak.

Raducanu raised her level and achieved a 7-0 score.

The remainder of the match was a mixed bag for both players, with Raducanu eventually employing a bit more variety to take advantage of her opponent’s erratic forehand and weak serve. Raducanu herself missed a few easy shots, however, and for someone with a decent grass court pedigree, her original Wimbledon breakthrough came just before the 2021 US Open, when she reached the fourth round and was noticeably shaky at the net. Overall, Raducanu won just eight of the 24 points (33 percent) when she did venture forward. She spoke afterwards of emulating England’s 2-1 victory over Slovakia on Sunday night by beating Zarazua in a nasty fashion.

Winning is a crucial skill for any tennis player, and Raducanu has been winning a lot recently. She was a semi-finalist in Nottingham a few weeks ago, and confirmed that by beating Sloane Stephens and Jessica Pegula (whose first top 10 success) and reaching the quarter-finals in Eastbourne last week.

Skipping the French Open to train for those warm-up grass tournaments has also helped her mentally. Last Monday in Eastbourne, Raducanu spoke about rediscovering her love for the sport. I’m good. I’m really good, she said when asked about her current level. I’m doing really well, she continued.

I'm just really into it right now. I love the sport. I love tennis. It's just taken over me. I've really lit a light and a fire inside of me. I'm just really happy and enjoying it immensely.

After missing the French Open and turning down an offer to play at the Olympics, on top of earlier accusations that she wasn’t focused enough on her tennis, Raducanu clearly wanted to set the record straight. The next day, after beating Stephens, she wrote My own pace on camera.

Even though I might be challenged or questioned because I don't participate in certain tournaments, like Roland Garros or the Olympic Games, for me it's just part of it, Raducanu then explained to reporters.

It's about doing things at my own pace and the way I want to do them, rather than the way other people think is best for me, because at the end of the day, I know, along with the few people around me, what is truly best for me and my game.

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One of Raducanu’s biggest challenges was finding a pace that wasn’t too fast for her body. While she was recovering from those injuries last year, her physical therapist Milly Mirkovic counted every stroke Raducanu hit and kept a daily tally to make sure she didn’t overdo it. “Staying patient and trying not to rush is the biggest lesson I’ve learned,” Raducanu says of this period.

Finally, she seems fit and ready to win at least a few matches at a major. If she can beat Belgian world number 33 Elise Mertens on Wednesday, she will be venturing into uncharted territory since her US Open victory: a Grand Slam third round. Mertens, the world number 1 in doubles, will be a tough opponent because of her consistency, rarely producing spectacular plays but rarely making unforced errors. Since reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2018, she has been a model of consistency: in 19 of the 24 Slams she has played since then, Mertens has reached at least the third or fourth round, with a couple of quarterfinals and a few early exits as the only outliers. She has never won a Grand Slam title like Raducanu, but she has had the kind of career at the top of the game that players dream of.

Stable, no blooming or shrinking. And no suffocating expectations.

Raducanu said after her victory on Monday that she is determined to be equally free of lofty assumptions: As I said in the first press conference, I would be over the moon to win my first round here. And I really am. I just feel the joy of being there, the joy of being part of the buzz. I just enjoy it.

I think every match I win, I have to celebrate a lot. I think because I know how hard matches are to win, to achieve. I think now, yeah, with a few wins under my belt, I really cherish every match, because I know how hard it is to be on the other side.

In terms of results, I have no expectations. I only expect myself to really put myself on the line on the pitch and fight and not let frustrations get to me.

(Top photo: John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)