Emma Raducanu is back in New York, ready and raring to go at the site of her greatest triumph.
The US Open gave everything to the 22-year-old when, as a teenage qualifier, she emerged to win the title against all the odds.
However, that inexplicable and remarkable triumph has at times been as much of a curse as it has been a blessing, increasing the weight of expectation to levels she could never meet.
It feels like this year, for the first time since that title, she is finally enjoying a settled run of form and fitness. Hopefully, she can translate that into this final Grand Slam of the year.
Naturally, she is glowing about the US Open whenever she gets the chance to praise it.
And, on this occasion, Emma Raducanu has actually outlined what Wimbledon could learn from this event.
Emma Raducanu recommends Wimbledon make a big change
Speaking at her press conference ahead of her first singles match, she offered a brief summary of how she was feeling.
Raducanu began by noting: “Yeah, I feel good overall. I think I have been practising pretty well. I have had a good few weeks in America playing, and Canada, as well. Got some matches in. And then, yeah, tough match with Aryna in Cincy, but it was another one to build on and was closer than when I played her at Wimbledon.”
Then asked to touch upon the mixed doubles she played with Carlos Alcaraz, she was effusive in her praise of the revamped format, admitting: “Yeah, I think it would be so fun if all the slams got involved and did something similar, even if it was not the exact same format.
“I think it was a huge success. I think so many fans got involved, so many people watching and tuned in. It got a lot of attention.
“I think it was a great idea. And, yeah, I had a lot of fun on the court playing with Carlos.”
Emma Raducanu’s historic performance at the US Open
Despite Raducanu’s nightmare US Open draw, she should fear no one given the form she has exhibited throughout 2025.
After all, she has twice pushed Aryna Sabalenka to the brink, and boasts notable wins over stars like Naomi Osaka, Marketa Vondrousova, Amanda Anisimova and Emma Navarro.
Delving back through the US Open archives, it’s worth remembering how she has performed year on year at this event.
Her first appearance in the main draw obviously came in 2021, when she stormed through qualifying to win the title.
However, her title defence left little to be desired, exiting in the first round the following year.
| Round | Opponent | Scoreline |
| Final | Leylah Fernandez | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Semi-finals | Maria Sakkari | 6-1, 6-4 |
| Quarter-finals | Belinda Bencic | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Fourth Round | Shelby Rogers | 6-2, 6-1 |
| Third Round | Sara Sorribes | 6-0, 6-1 |
| Second Round | Zhang Shuai | 6-2, 6-4 |
| First Round | Stefanie Vögele | 6-2, 6-3 |
The entirety of Raducanu’s 2023 campaign was scuppered by various injuries, and as such, she missed that year’s iteration of the US Open completely, before suffering another first-round exit last year.
With few points to defend and a qualifier for a first-round opponent, the hope is that she can at the very least improve on last year’s result, and potentially even cause a few upsets against some top seeds.
