From becoming the first British woman to win a singles major title since Virginia Wade (1977) to battling with injuries and a lack of consistency to reestablish her name in women’s tennis, Emma Raducanu has come a long way! Perhaps the demand of grueling schedules to improve her rankings and to deliver upon the expectations that were around her after the 2021 US Open took a heavy toll on her. In July 2024, Raducanu spoke about how she has found the “best solution” for herself. She reassessed her goals, saying, “My priority is to develop my game, which means I probably won’t play many tournaments this year.” She played only 36 matches last year. In December 2024, she revealed her goals for 2025 by saying, “I want to play more than I did this year.” Fast forward to May 2025, Raducanu has already taken part in nine tournaments and has played 18 matches! What are the chances that have brought success in her campaign this year, though?

Emma Raducanu has a win-loss record of 10-8 this season, and her best result has been reaching the QF of the 2025 Miami Open. In Miami, she had, in fact, defeated the world number 9, Emma Navarro, in the R64. Following that impressive run in Miami, Raducanu took a small break. She decided it would be more beneficial to skip Great Britain’s BJK tie and do a short training block in the US instead. So, Raducanu, along with her team, including her new part-time coach, Mark Petchey, traveled to LA for a training block. Sharing her experience from that trip, she later revealed, “I’m happy with [the training block]…We created our own little bubble, and it was nice to be working on my game out there, but at the same time, having fun and enjoying it.“

Recently, after her win against the Swiss Jil Teichmann in the R64 of the Italian Open, Emma Raducanu gave an interview with Tennis Channel where she was asked to share her thoughts on how those training sessions have helped her understand the work-life balance more. Replying to that, the Brit said, “Yeah, I’m a lot better now. I think when I was a bit younger, after the US Open and stuff, I was so focused, so locked in, and almost too locked in. I was too intense the whole time, the whole day, and you know I wouldn’t leave the room the day before I played the match in the evening because I was like ‘No, I got to focus’ because I’m playing a match tomorrow. And in that way, I was just you know..I wanted it too much in a way and it was putting more pressure.”

However, things have changed a lot for Raducanu nowadays. She claims, “Now, I’m a lot better at just you know relaxing and switching off and doing things that make me happy and I enjoy.” Be it yoga, walking, or even going to a laundromat to do her laundry, Raducanu now finds these as an expedition in the glimmer of the day!

In a previous interview with Sky Sports, Emma Raducanu revealed that she has come to learn that “less is more” when it comes to managing her season. “It’s just making sure when I’m on the court I’m maxing out for X amount of time so I can focus, and then once I’m done, I’m switching off better.” Raducanu has looked quite impressive in both of her matches in Rome. Has she made any changes to her clay court game recently, though?

Former Top 10 WTA player highlights the key improvements in Emma Raducanu’s clay court game

Clay courts have never been Emma Raducanu’s favorite surface. She has time and again reflected her fondness for faster surfaces. This year, Raducanu started her clay court campaign in Madrid, where she was knocked out in the R64 by Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. After that, in the Italian Open, she defeated Australia’s Maya Joint by three sets in the first match before taking down Teichmann by 6-2,6-2. Following her win over the Swiss, Raducanu spoke about her “love-hate” relationship with this surface. But what are the key improvements she has made on her game recently, especially while playing on clay?

Previously, Emma Raducanu‘s only appearance in this tournament came in 2022. She said it was the last time she played a match on outdoor clay, i.e., almost a gap of three years. After her win against Teichmann, Raducanu said, “I always said I think I had the potential to play really well on clay. I don’t think I’m there yet. But I’m slowly kind of finding my feet.“

According to the former Wimbledon champion, Marion Bartoli, “I think she’s moving better, which is crucial on clay. The surface is lively and you’re sliding all over the place so you need to get your legs extremely strong. You need to feel the ground really well and when I look at her muscle from the lower body she has been really putting in the work in the gym, which is probably why she decided to take a break after Miami to get those hours in the gym to make sure she was physically ready for the clay and grass too.” Other than that, Bartoli also revealed that she feels Mark Petchey has been successfully managing to take “away the stress” from her. 

Next up for Raducanu is Veronika Kudermetova in the R32. Do you think she can keep her winning run intact at the 2025 Italian Open? Share your thoughts in the comment box.