Emma Raducanu has divulged that she now knows how she is going to get the best out of herself as she prepares to make her return to tennis.
The 2021 US Open champion described herself as a “perfectionist” and outlined the value of “knowing when to pull back and actually work smarter” to get better results.
Raducanu will make her comeback at the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland – which will run from January 1-7 – ahead of the 2024 Australian Open.
The former world No 10 is currently ranked 298th after missing most of the 2023 season due to injury and having undergone surgery on both her wrists and her ankle in May. She played just 10 matches across five tournaments this year and posted a 5-5 record.
The 21-year-old suffered an ankle injury which forced her to retire during her second round match in Auckland in January in her first event of the 2023. The Brit then lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Coco Gauff, before next competing in Indian Wells almost two months later.
Raducanu achieved her best result of the season in Indian Wells by winning three matches to reach the last 16, where she was beaten by Iga Swiatek. She was then beaten in the opening round in Miami to Bianca Andreescu, before losing to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April in her most recent match.
In an interview with Tatler Asia, Raducanu expressed that she possesses a strong work ethic, but explained why she feels this has its limitations.
“I think anyone who’s actually worked with and around me knows that I’m a really hard worker. It’s true that if you put in the hours and hours and hours and hours, it’s going to get you there,” the 21-year-old said.
“But at some point, you get diminishing returns, and it’s just not the most efficient way to train or learn, and knowing when to pull back and actually work smarter is when you get more out of yourself and better results.
“If something’s not perfect – and I’m quite a perfectionist – I’ll be nicer [to myself] and just say, ‘okay, it’s fine.’ And sometimes when there’s so much going on, I will put everything on pause, because I know now that’s how I’m going to get the best out of myself.”
Raducanu also discussed the importance of players continuing their education because of the benefits this will bring after their careers.
“I’m happy if I can inspire a young boy or girl to pick up a racket. But I think it’s just as important to keep your education going. If anything, it’s one thing I want to stand for,” she added.
“I think doing your education properly helps so much, because it develops you as a person and benefits you in all walks of life. Tennis is a big part of my life, but there’s a lot more to it than just playing. Once you hit 35, if you’ve only played tennis, it’s very difficult to get into something brand new.”