"Recovery time" - Emma Raducanu shares highlights of her days on the sidelines following three surgeries

Emma Raducanu recently shared some highlights from her time spent recovering from three major surgeries.

Raducanu, whose 2022 season was derailed due to numerous injury-related setbacks, underwent surgeries on both her wrists and her ankle in May this year, and has been out of action ever since.

As a result, the Brit announced that she will be skipping all summer tennis events, including her home Slam - the ongoing 2023 Wimbledon Championships. Raducanu’s last appearance on court was at the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart in April.

Currently in rehab, Raducanu has spent her days unwinding with friends and family, and has utilized the time to fulfill her various off-court commitments as well. The 20-year-old recently gave tennis fans a peek into her everyday life, which also included traveling to Paris and visiting her sponsor brand Dior’s flagship store.

“Doctors ordered recovery time,” Emma Raducanu captioned her post that included a variety of pictures.

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"You have to ask for help if you need it" – Billie Jean King on Emma Raducanu's statements about life as a pro athlete

Emma Raducanu at the 2023 Indian Wells

Emma Raducanu recently opened about her mental and emotional struggles since being thrust into the limelight after her historic 2021 US Open win.

The 20-year-old revealed that she found her circumstance difficult to navigate and stated that she had to mature quickly.

“I had to mature very quickly. You have to be on guard because there are a lot of sharks out there. It has been difficult to navigate. I have been burnt a few times,” she said in a recent interview with the Sunday Times Style magazine.

Raducanu also shared that she was being used as a “piggy bank” by some people in the industry and stated that her experience on tour has been “brutal.”

“I think people in the industry, especially with me because I was 19, now 20, they see me as a piggy bank. I am very young and still learning and making mistakes. It is a lot harder when you are making mistakes in front of everyone… the tour is completely brutal,” she added.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King, who is one of the greatest advocates of women’s rights in sports, responded to Emma Raducanu’s statements with words of advice. The 79-year-old admitted that the life of a pro athlete was difficult and urged athletes to seek help regarding their struggles despite their tough on-court persona.

“Being a pro-athlete is hard. But you’ve chosen to be a professional athlete. It’s competitive. You have to ask for help if you need it. We [athletes] are used to stiff upper lip, be tough. On the court maybe, but off the court, you need help. Ask for what you want and need,” King said in a recent conversation with CNN.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion also shared that the WTA has been providing mental health support to their players privately.

“The WTA has been fantastic with mental health for years, but people would say: ‘Why aren’t you doing anything?’ Of course we’re doing things. We have to keep it private,” she said.

Emma Raducanu’s current hiatus has pushed her outside the world’s top-100 to a ranking of World No. 132.