Emma Raducanu proud of ‘unheard of’ tennis achievement and says ‘nobody wants to face me’

believes she is feared by other players and that nobody wants to be drawn against her as Great Britain prepare to face Slovakia in the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals.Raducanu has battled a number of injuries since winning the US Open in 2021, having missed a large chunk of the current season due to various setbacks. She has still managed to win 20 of her 33 matches and will finish the year inside the world’s top 60.In an interview with the , Raducanu admitted that it is easy for her to forget just how much she has achieved in tennis in spite of her injury problems.”My assessment is, I think sometimes I need reminding,” she said. “I’m top 60 in the world and I have played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of, in a way. I have to pat myself on the back for that.

“I know I’m a dangerous player. I know no one wants to pull my name in the draw. I take pride in that and I’m looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year.”Raducanu has only just returned from an injury she picked up at the Korea Open in September. She strained ligaments in her foot while playing against Daria Kasatkina and was forced to retire from the match.”There were so many tournaments,” she reflected. “I wasn’t defending any points at the back end of the year, so of course I wanted to play. I think I just took the time and used it in a really proactive and productive way.”Two days ago I served 10 aces, for example, which I did in Seoul in my last match, but it’s been a work in progress. It doesn’t just happen overnight. Even if I was a little bit, at the time, disappointed, now I feel pretty good and I don’t look back with any regrets.”

Raducanu is expected to begin her 2025 campaign at the ASB Classic, which will get underway in New Zealand at the end of December. For now, her focus is on doing her country proud at the Billie Jean King Cup with Great Britain in the hunt for silverware.The 22-year-old is taking confidence from her recent singles wins over Jule Niemeier of Germany and Rebecca Marino of Canada ahead of Tuesday’s showdown with Slovakia.”I’m playing some really tough opponents and not to be underestimated by their rankings on these surfaces, because both are very dangerous,” she added.”I’m really pleased with how I fought and how I’m faring up against these top girls. I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot with my tennis right now.”