Emma Raducanu reveals her typical working day starts at 6 am and includes a couple of hours of practice and training, after which she prefers to spend time alone and “wind down.”
Raducanu, 21, has been around the Tour for just a few years. After playing her first tournament of the 2021 season in June and shortly after winning the US Open as a qualifier, Raducanu turned her focus fully to her tennis career.
In 2022, Raducanu had her first full season on the WTA Tour. Last year, Raducanu started the 2023 season in time but appeared in just five tournaments before undergoing three season-ending surgeries in May.
Now the first thing in the morning is getting some work with her physio before hitting the practice court. After concluding her practice and gym work for the day, Raducanu again does some work with her physio.
“Typically, I start my day with physio doing muscle activation work to warm the body up. Then I warm up for half an hour, play tennis for 90 minutes, have an hour gym session, then break for lunch for around 90 mins,” Raducanu told Harper’s BAZAAR.
“After lunch, I go on court for another two hours and finish with an hour of treatment. It’s quite a lot but not much beats the satisfaction you get from it at the end of the day.”
Emma Raducanu© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
Since returning in the first week of the 2024 season, Raducanu has appeared in four tournaments. So far, Raducanu’s body has been holding up well but it is not a coincidence as the Briton insists she does a lot of work to be in this position.
“At the moment I’m putting in long training days – double sessions – so by the time I’m back after the gym and my treatment it’s between 6 and 7 pm. So, I’ll have dinner, read again if I have any energy left, and pack my bags for the following day before getting an early night,” Raducanu said.
Raducanu on being ‘a lone wolf’
During a work day, Raducanu spends several hours on the practice court and in the gym, which also leads to numerous social interactions. Once she is done with her duties for the day, Raducanu likes to sit at home alone and recharge in her own ways.
“A big thing for me is spending time alone to wind down. I am a bit of a lone wolf and after an intense day, where I either push myself to the limits training or have many social interactions, I like to spend time alone reflecting and recharging. Being comfortable in my own company and in the silence that comes with it is something that helps me stay fresh,” Raducanu said.
Emma Raducanu© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
Raducanu, who celebrated her 21st birthday in November, has gone through a lot since coming to the Tour. In one of her past interviews, Raducanu admitted that she was probably naive in some situations.
Now addressing what she would tell her younger self, Raducanu reveals it would be to “prioritize” herself not care too much about others.
“I’d tell my younger self that it’s OK to say ‘no’ and prioritize what feels best for myself, especially in the hours ‘off’. Regardless of others’ perceptions, deep down we know when we are doing something truly for ourselves or rather because we feel we ought to,” Raducanu revealed.
Also, Raducanu revealed how her ideal day would look like.
“My ideal day off would be waking up at 8am, reading in bed, scrolling through Reels or TikToks, then showering and catching up with a friend over some window-shopping or a walk – a day off is the only time I have to do these things,” Raducanu shared.
Where Raducanu last played and where she plays next?
After competing in Auckland and the Australian Open, Raducanu also participated in this month’s Middle East swing. In early February, Raducanu made her debut at a WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi, where she defeated Marie Bouzkova before losing to Ons Jabeur in the round-of-16.
The following week, Raducanu also debuted in a WTA 1000 tournament in Doha, where Anhelina Kalinina handed her a 6-0 7-6 (6) defeat in the first round. After Doha, Raducanu decided to return home and not play at this week’s WTA 1000 event in Dubai.
Emma Raducanu© Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
While Raducanu’s next tournament isn’t confirmed, she should compete in Indian Wells. While Raducanu didn’t make the main draw cut off, she should still compete in Indian Wells as the tournament organizers will likely give her a main draw wildcard like it was the case last year.
If Raducanu plays in Indian Wells this year, it will be her fourth appearance at the tournament. Last year, Raducanu achieved her best Indian Wells result as she reached the round-of-16 before Iga Swiatek ousted her in two sets.
Raducanu has been practicing hard over the last week and it will be interesting to see how she will look when she resumes action.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login