Leylah Fernandez had a heartfelt message for Emma Raducanu as the Brit tries to return to the upper echelons of tennis. The Canadian sympathized with Raducanu as she understood what she was going through having achieved much success early on in her career.
The two women competed in a historic all-teenage final at the 2021 US Open where Raducanu prevailed 6-4, 6-3 to win her first Grand Slam at the age of 18 and also became the first qualifier to win a Major in singles in the Open Era.
However, since then, both women haven't been able to replicate similar results as they have struggled with form and injuries and have been trying to get back to the top.
Fernandez sympathized with Emma Raducanu as she can understand the Brit putting extra pressure on herself after achieving so much success early on in her career. She also mentioned how one is expected to replicate the success over and over again but in actuality ends up in a fight with the pressure itself.
Fernandez told The Times:
“I can certainly understand what Emma’s been going through. Sometimes you put extra pressure on yourself, because you did something incredible at such a young age. Then you’re expected to do it again and again. I’ve been trying to accept it. That’s the hardest part, you feel you’re accepting it, but in reality you’re butting heads all the time with the pressure you give yourself.”
The 21-year-old feels that it is normal to go through these emotions and important to learn from these experiences. She hopes to be a part of many big matches in the rest of her career.
“What we’re going through is normal, plenty of pros have gone through that. It’s just about learning from those experiences and hopefully there will be more opportunities to play in Grand Slam finals, to play in the big stadiums. There’s a long way to go in my career.”
Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez are currently competing in the grass swing of the 2024 season and have had positive results. The Brit kicked off her swing at the Rothesay Open where she reached the semifinals losing to the eventual champion Katie Boulter. On the other hand, Leylah Fernandez reached the quarterfinals at the Rothesay Classic but lost to Ajla Tomljanovic after being a set up.
Both women are currently competing at the Rothesay International after which they'll head to Wimbledon.
"To be healthy and to be here, I need to cherish it" - Emma Raducanu talks about being back to her physical best
Prior to the grass swing, Emma Raducanu was grateful for returning to her physical best after undergoing multiple surgeries in the past few years.
She admitted that she was feeling healthy and strong and was just looking forward to being back on the court (via the Guardian):
“I think it’s very easy for me to lose sight of where I was exactly a year ago. You get so caught up in your own world that you want more and more and more, but I was on a [mobility] scooter scooting around and there was an element of doubt," Raducanu said.
"To be healthy and to be here, I need to cherish it. Body-wise I feel really healthy now. I feel really strong. I’ve done amazing work with my trainer over the last few months since surgery. I’m in a really fit place. I’m healthy and just looking forward to starting playing," she added.
Raducanu skipped the French Open in order to rest her body for the heavily scheduled grass season. She said that she needed to prioritize her targets for the season and needed to get some physical training done.
“I don’t need to rush and try to win the French Open; it wasn’t my goal this year. I had to prioritise where I wanted to target and it was just a good block for me to get some physical work done.”
Emma Raducanu has opted out of the 2024 Paris Olympics in which matches will be played on the Roland-Garros clay, not wanting to put stress on her body immediately after returning to tennis post-recovery.