British No. 1 Emma Raducanu branded comments about her as untrue as she said the attention she has received after her meteoric rise in tennis has been “intense.”
Raducanu, who received an MBE award from King Charles for her services to tennis, broke onto the scene with an impressive Wimbledon campaign in 2021 shortly before historically winning the US Open in the same year aged 18.
But in her first full year on the WTA Tour, Raducanu, 20, has struggled to reach the same heights. Problems with injuries and multiple coach changes has contributed to her slip from being ranked world No. 10 to No. 74.
“Professionally speaking, I’m very proud of my resilience this year,” Raducanu told Sheerluxe. “I’ve faced quite a bit of adversity and I’ve had to keep getting back up a lot.
“So much stuff is said about me that isn’t true, but I try not to let it affect me. The past year has meant getting used to that side of things — the publicity and hearing all these things I never even knew about myself! The attention on the tour is so intense.”
A wrist injury has kept Raducanu sidelined since October, forcing her to miss the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow, Scotland. But she is expected to return to fitness this month, in time to prepare for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on Jan. 16.
Raducanu recognised her injury issues and set an objective to be “healthier for longer” in 2023.
“I can’t quite believe we’re at that stage again — the last 12 months have gone so fast,” Raducanu said. “My biggest goal in 2023 is to be more injury free. I just want to stay healthier for longer.
“This year, the demands of the tour, going from having no training or stamina to being thrown into competing at the top level, my body has struggled.
“So, I’ll be working hard to keep my body in good shape and improving. If you want a ‘resolution’ it’s probably to be consistent. Put in the work, day in, day out.”