Emma Raducanu has revealed that she plans to play a full schedule during the Asian swing as this news comes after a summer during which the Briton’s schedule was heavily questioned and criticized.
After regularly playing in the opening four months of the season, the former world No. 10 skipped the Rome Open and French Open and many believed it happened because she didn’t receive a wildcard and didn’t want to play qualifying. Also, the 21-year-old faced backlash after skipping the Paris Olympics to prioritize summer on hard courts – but only played in Washington and went three weeks without any matches before the US Open.
Following her first-round exit in New York that saw Raducanu break down in tears and telling reporters that she probably didn’t make the wisest scheduling decisions before the last Grand Slam of the year, the British tennis player made a return to action this week with a 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) win over Peyton Stearns at the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul.
“I always knew there was a really long block in Asia at the end of the year and I didn’t want to overdo myself in the first half of the year. If you look at the tournaments I played it was relatively light. I skipped quite a few weeks over the clay knowing that I’m at the stage where I’m not trying to win every event on the clay, on the grass and hard,” the current world No. 70 told WTA Insider.
“I have to prioritize and Asia was one of those for me. So I stacked the year on the backend heavy, because I’m excited. I thrive in Asia. It’s where I truly feel like home. So I’m buzzing for that trip even though it’s at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to going out there and trying to take it.”
Emma Raducanu© YouTube screenshot
So how will Raducanu’s schedule likely look?
After the Korea Open, the British tennis star will probably target to play in back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan. In mid-October, she may play either in Osaka or Ningbo while later that month she could appear in Tokyo or Guangzhou. Between October 28th and November 3rd, the WTA 250 event in Hong Kong is starting and the Briton will play there since she has already been confirmed for that event.
Meanwhile after her first-round win in Seoul, Raducanu noted that her goal for the rest of the season is to play a lot but also try to improve in the process. After overcoming Stearns in a marathon that lasted two hours and 46 minutes, the 21-year-old plays next against Yuan Yue.
“I think the rest of the year, as long as I’m healthy I’m going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can. It’s something I’m really light on since the grass through the D.C. period. I’ve not played many points, even in practice. So today, as grueling as it was, I think I had three hours of match experience, which can only aid me going into the next few weeks. For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can,” the Briton said.
Raducanu also seems to be done with constant coaching changes
As you probably know very well, the 2021 US Open champion has been one of the most criticized players in the last few years and a lot of scrutiny came her way because she split with five different coaches in around two and a half years. But after splitting with Sebastian Sachs in mid 2023, the Briton took a long time before finding a replacement.
And she eventually found it in a very familiar face – her childhood coach Nick Cavaday. Nearly 10 months into the season, the two are still working together and everything points toward the 21-year-old finally making it through an entire year with the same coach. Judging by Raducanu’s words, there is a good reason why she is happy with what Cavaday brings to the table.
“The relationship with the coach is very good. It’s really good to be together. Nick is a competent coach but, more importantly, he is a very good person. I think being with a friend I’ve known for a long time in a familiar environment is the best environment for me right now, and I value the time with him,” she said.
On Thursday, the former world No. 10 will return to the court to take on eighth-seeded Yue for the first time. If Raducanu wins, she will reach the quarterfinal and come one win away from making her second Seoul semifinal – she was a semifinalist in her debut in 2022.