It's difficult to trust new people. My circle is smaller than ever

While navigating scrutiny on the court, Emma Raducanu is seeking balance through perspective and academia

- Tumaini Carayol

I am very independent and I think now I'm actually just listening to myself and my intuition more," says Emma Raducanu, smiling, from one of the few quiet corners of the Foro Italico complex in Rome. "For so long, I've had other opinions, I've tried to justify my gut feeling because my brain is very logical [and] I didn't feel like I could just trust what I felt."

Raducanu is speaking before her first-round appearance at the Italian Open, where she is still trying to figure out how to adapt her game to clay. Looking at the bigger picture of the 22-year-old's career and life, she has reached an interesting inflection point.

Two years after surgeries to both wrists and an ankle forced her out for eight months, and then after spending the 2024 season trying to re-establish her position on the WTA Tour, Raducanu has settled in and around the top 50. She has enjoyed some encouraging results, but they have been paired with injuries, poor form and unorthodox decisions. Being one of the 50 best players in the world is an achievement in itself, but it remains to be seen if she can rise higher.

Raducanu has come to the conclusion that any further success will come by prioritising balance in her personal life rather than overworking herself with a singular focus in pursuit of her goals. In her search for stimulation away from the court, Raducanu intends to recommit to studying.