After Emma Raducanu created history as the first-ever qualifier to win the US Open in 2021, the hype reached the roof for her potential going forward. An 18-year-old dominating the hard court at Flushing Meadows, without dropping a set and emerging victorious with the trophy. But what went wrong from here?

Well, probably the milestone was too heavy for Raducanu to carry amid expectations from home fans to win every next slam. Of course, it was an unrealistic demand, and it didn’t happen. In fact, she’s not won a single title since that famous win in New York. Result? Questions about her potential and talent have surfaced lately. Doubters tried to call her US Open success “a fluke.” But there was something more painful that made Raducanu feel broken from within.

The post-US Open victory was really challenging for the Brit. Her on-court journey was marred by recurring injuries. So much so that in 2023, she had to undergo wrist and ankle surgeries. However, what followed afterwards was a shocking reaction from people in her own circle. Speaking to The Guardian in an interview, dated August 15, Raducanu revealed how certain individuals in her own team thought she was not a capable player.

“I was obviously, like: ‘Oh, no, I am tough enough,’” she told without mentioning names. The Brit kept believing in herself contrary to “people around” her. “It wasn’t good to hear, because I always prided myself on being a hard worker and being tough. And I believe I am. I actually think it was more the people around me that were incorrect, and it led me to having three surgeries and double wrist surgery.”

When given close attention to her revelation, it seems she might be referring to her former coaches.

Back in May, talking to the BBC, she touched upon a similar aspect, mentioning her previous trainers’ influence on her performance. While she didn’t specify names, she was very clear about her feelings. “I just kept pushing through because people were telling me I wasn’t tough enough, like I need to just work through it,” Raducanu shared. According to the World No. 39, she should have listened to her body, not any of her former coaches.

Reiterating similar sentiments in the latest interview, she added, “I was overtraining and just covering it up, not saying I was in pain, even when I was. So it was really tough to hear. But as I’ve grown with experience, I kind of realized my body a bit more and trusted myself a bit more.”

Fortunately, the 22-year-old has found the true guiding light lately, in the form of her current trainer. With his arrival, she’s shown positive results in most of her campaigns (if not all) compared to how she struggled to even clear the first rounds a while ago. She’s really feeling herself, once again, after reuniting with a familiar figure.

Emma Raducanu feeling optimistic about herself, and here’s why

At the start of the season, Emma Raducanu was struggling to leave a solid impression with her racket. In Melbourne, she was thrashed by the six-time slam queen Iga Swiatek. Following an exit down under, the Brit’s former coach, Nick Cavaday, left her, citing personal reasons. To have a temporary solution, she then brought in Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik to have better results at the Indian Wells. But guess what? She witnessed a quick exit there. Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima ousted her in the first round.

Following the debacle, she decided to end the collaboration with Platenik after just two weeks. Till that point, she had worked with seven coaches in her career following the 2021 US Open triumph. But none really proved effective until her compatriot and former ATP pro Mark Petchey came on board, her eighth coach in the stretch. For the uninitiated, Petchey was already in Raducanu’s camp in the past.

After accompanying her during the historic US Open run four years ago, he left the camp. However, the tennis icon came back earlier this year to start working with her ahead of the Miami Open. The fortunes changed almost instantly. The Brit succeeded in reaching the QF stage of the WTA 1000 event. Not just that, she’s also shown remarkable performances in subsequent tournaments lately.

At the Queen’s Club in June, she entered the quarterfinals. Then last month, at the Citi Open, she narrowly missed out on her maiden final since the 2021 summit clash in New York. Anna Kalinskaya bested her in the semis. But her mindset has changed in the last few months due to Petchey’s presence!

During an interaction with Sky Sports in May, she revealed how she felt “more optimistic, I feel pretty positive about things going forward. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to stay consistent.”

“It is exciting, it does feel like a bit of a fresh start with the way I am approaching everything, with the people I have around, with my mindset and outlook.” She also mentioned what separates Petchey from her former coaches. “He’s not a super technical coach, there are certain tweaks, as always, but that is something I am going away from.”

Moving ahead, her objective is pretty much clear. Raducanu wants to be “more aggressive and play the way I want to more so, so it can help me on the other surfaces.” The next challenge happens to be the hard court at Flushing Meadows. It’s been four years since she put up an unforgettable performance there. In the previous two appearances (2022 and 2024), however, the Brit has failed to move past the first round. Can she change the pattern this season with Petchey by her side? Only time will.