Emma Raducanu’s resurgence: From mobility scooter to grass-court season – Tennis Tonic – News, Predictions, H2H, Live Scores, stats

A year after being confined to a mobility scooter due to multiple surgeries, British tennis player Emma Raducanu feels “really healthy” as she prepares for the grass-court season. The 2021 US Open champion was sidelined for eight months last year, recovering from surgeries on both wrists and one ankle.

Now ranked No. 208 in the world, the 21-year-old Raducanu has returned to more regular play this year, though she skipped the French Open to focus on building fitness. Reflecting on her recovery, Raducanu said, “I had a cast on one hand, a splint on the other and my ankle was pretty much immobilized. I was just scooting around on one knee. As someone who’s so active, it was very difficult to just shut your body down. It’s very easy for me to lose sight of where I was exactly a year ago, to this day, to this month. You just get so caught up in your own world, you want more, more, more.”

Raducanu will begin her grass-court campaign against Japan’s Ena Shibahara in Nottingham, England, this week, in preparation for Wimbledon, which begins on July 1. She mentioned having “zero apprehension” when hitting balls or thinking about her schedule, thanks to her recent conditioning efforts. “It was important for me to take time to transition on to the grass, because the balls over the grass-court season are so heavy. I feel like conditions are getting slower and slower on grass courts and especially for myself having had wrist surgeries, I needed to prioritize the transition.”

Since winning the US Open as an unseeded qualifier three years ago, Raducanu rose to a career-high ranking of No. 10 in the world in 2022 but has struggled with form and fitness. Her last competitive match was a first-round defeat against Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carlé at the Madrid Open on April 24. Now, Raducanu is eager to make her mark once again on the grass-court season and regain her top form.

Raducanu in Nottingham, ranking, and results in 2024

Currently the world no.209, Raducanu achieved a composed 10-7 win-loss record in 2024. Emma is currently playing in Nottingham where she bested the world no.274 Ena Shibahara 6-1 6-4.

Emma Raducanu will face the world no.127 Daria Snigur in the 2^nd round. In the past, they have never played each other till now in top events.