The Hopes for Emma Raducanu in 2022

At just 18 years old, Emma Raducanu shot to fame when winning the 2021 US open. Now 19, she is at the end of what has been a wild season for her, and thoughts have already turned to what will happen next season.

The US Open may not be the last title she wins this year, as the winner odds on the BBC sports personality of the year 2021 show that Raducanu is just 1.1 to win the award, recognizing what she has done this season.

Raducanu became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam title since 1977, and if you want to see how well she has played, there is nothing that shows this better than how her ranking has changed. She started the season ranked at number 345 in the world, she is now in the top 25, but of course that move also brings great pressure to her game.

There is no doubt that the whole of the tennis world is behind Raducanu, but now she is a household name, not a low ranked player, what will happen in 2022 and how will she cope with the pressure on her shoulders?

Huge Focus on Wimbledon in the Summer of 2022

Just like any other British tennis player who is on the rise, the biggest tournament of the season for Raducanu will be Wimbledon in the summer. She will be expected to work her entire season around that event and will be hoping to arrive in peak form.

“She’s done it with so much joy, poise, composure.”

Former British professional tennis player Annabel Croft describes 18-year-old Emma Raducanu as a “breath of fresh air”, adding her US Open win proves she was “born to be a champion”.

Latest: https://t.co/I9hnRD4oJu pic.twitter.com/kYtg4LOhsJ

— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 13, 2021

We never got to see the best of Raducanu at Wimbledon in 2021, because she had to pull out through injury when in the 4^th round against Ajla Tomljanovic. That was before the US Open win, and before her name was in the spotlight, but despite that, Raducanu received huge support when playing that week, especially on court number one in that game, which ended so unfortunately.

Whatever she heard in the summer will be nothing compared to the reception she will get when she returns in the summer as a Grand Slam champion.

An Early Push in the Australian Open?

The biggest early season event on the tennis calendar is the Australian Open, which will begin on January 17. This gives all players, including Raducanu an early shot at showing they are ready for the new season, and able to put up some good performances.

In 2021, it was Naomi Osaka that won the Australian Open, with a comfortable win over Jennifer Brady, winning her second Australian Open and her fourth overall Grand Slam title. Raducanu has a long way to go, but it will no doubt be of interest to her that recent winners of the US Open have gone on to do well in Australia.

The two weeks she plays at Wimbledon in the summer will of course be the biggest of the year, but the Australian Open and a return to the US Open, are likely to be the best chance Raducanu has of another grand slam.

Magdalena Zlatica

“Lifelong entrepreneur. Total writer. Internet ninja. Analyst. Friendly music enthusiast.”