Why Raducanu is giving herself a 'pat on the back' for 2024

Like immoderate jock returning from semipermanent injury, Emma Raducanu has needed patience and perspective.

The 22-year-old Briton has been rebuilding her profession aft missing astir of 2023 pursuing room connected some wrists and her near ankle.

In April, Raducanu was classed 303rd successful the world.

Now the 2021 US Open champion is backmost wrong the apical 60 and emotion positive, aft a turbulent play ended connected a high.

BBC Sport looks astatine Raducanu's advancement and really the British number 2 tin amended successful 2025.

When Raducanu was preparing for her return a twelvemonth ago, she said astir making a "fresh start".

Climbing almost 250 spots is awesome by anyone's standards.

In fact, her emergence this twelvemonth has only been bettered by 3 WTA players - Japan's four-time awesome champion Naomi Osaka (unranked to 59th), Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic (549th to 85th) and American Amanda Anisimova (359th to 36th).

Jumping truthful precocious having played conscionable 14 ranking tournaments is simply a root of pridefulness for Raducanu.

Only Czech subordinate Karolina Muchova, who reached the US Open semi-finals, is classed wrong the apical 60 having competed successful fewer.

"Sometimes I request reminding: I'm apical 60 and I've played little than 15 events, which is beautiful unheard of," Raducanu told BBC Sport.

"I person to pat myself connected the backmost for that."

Progress was dependable alternatively than spectacular astatine the commencement of her comeback. Positive signs were followed by setbacks, demonstrating why expectations needed to beryllium tempered.

The item of Raducanu's twelvemonth was the British writer season.

Runs to the Nottingham quarter-finals and Eastbourne semi-finals teed up a heartening Wimbledon, which ended successful the past 16 but further fuelled her "fire".

Raducanu skipped the Olympics and endured a difficult US Open swing, earlier reaching a 4th quarter-final of the play astatine September's Korea Open.

A ft wounded halted her momentum, but she vanished connected a precocious by winning each 3 of her matches to thief Britain scope the BJK Cup semi-finals.

"I cognize I'm a vulnerable player," said Raducanu, who has earned £11m successful her comeback twelvemonth and is seventh connected a database of highest-earning female athletes successful the world according to sports business experts Sportico., external

"I cognize no-one wants to propulsion my sanction successful the draw.

"I return pridefulness successful that and I'm looking guardant to hopefully staying connected tribunal longer adjacent year."

It has been acold from soft sailing, though.

Crumbling to a straight-set conclusion successful Madrid against Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle, a week aft pushing world number 1 Iga Swiatek connected the Stuttgart clay, was a reality check.

Afterwards Raducanu complained astir emotion "exhausted". It led to some criticism,, external including from her BJK Cup skipper Anne Keothavong, but served arsenic a reminder of the beingness activity still to do.

Managing her workload has been key, but it had a detrimental effect astatine times.

Raducanu played only erstwhile betwixt the All England Club successful early July - wherever she besides pulled retired of playing mixed doubles pinch Andy Murray successful his Wimbledon farewell- and the US Open successful precocious August, starring to a rusty first-round exit successful New York.

Afterwards came a tearful admittance that it was a "lesson learned".

Even so, Raducanu looked connected people during the Asian hard-court plaything to group a caller individual precocious of Tour-level matches played successful 1 year.

Missing the remainder of the WTA play pinch sprained ft ligaments threatened that, but her BJK Cup appearances meant she equalled her erstwhile champion of 36 Tour-level matches.

British number 3 Sonay Kartal believes Raducanu deserves a batch of in installments for the measurement she has dealt pinch setbacks nether aggravated scrutiny.

"Going from being retired for a fewer weeks to backmost connected the lucifer tribunal is tough. To do it astatine the highest level is moreover tougher," Kartal, a adjacent friend and puerility rival, told BBC Sport.

"People ever looking successful connected you doesn’t help. Tennis is stressful arsenic it is, truthful it makes it moreover tougher."

After her BJK Cup experience, an enthused Raducanu instantly started her pre-season programme successful London pinch a caller summation to her team.

Renowned trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who antecedently worked pinch Maria Sharapova and Osaka, has been enlisted to thief make her assemblage much robust.

"I needed a much tailored attack and personification dedicated to me," said Raducanu, who travels to Brisbane this week to proceed preparations earlier the caller play starts connected 30 December.

"My athleticism is simply a large spot that I person obscurity adjacent fulfilled. I deliberation I tin go 1 of the champion athletes successful tennis."

Coach Nick Cavaday, her puerility mentor who she reunited pinch astatine the commencement of 2024, will proceed his domiciled arsenic portion of a tight-knit team.

Particular attraction is being paid to turning her service into a "weapon".

Lengthening her takeback, having gone to a shorter plaything successful the summer, has brought much rhythm, consistency and power.

"Yutuka adds different magnitude to the measurement Nick and I activity - it has go integrated and connected," Raducanu added.

"We tin already spot things that we do successful the gym transferring onto the tennis court.

"We're connected a travel of exploration."