Emma Raducanu makes ‘shock’ admission and explains why she is ‘really proud’ of comeback win

Ewan West
Emma Raducanu hits a forehand
Emma Raducanu playing in Auckland in 2024

Emma Raducanu has declared she was “struck and a bit in shock” after winning the first match of her comeback because “eight months is a long time.”

The 2021 US Open champion also proclaimed she feels she has always been a good competitor and was “really proud” to prove she “still had it” with her performance.

Raducanu defeated world No 134 Elena Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the first round of the of the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland on Tuesday in her first match since April last year.

The Brit, who is currently ranked 301st, earned the only break to take the first set, before losing a tight second set featuring five breaks.

The former world No 10 took a 5-2, double break lead in the deciding set and eventually sealed a hard-fought victory with her third attempt at serving out the match.

The 21-year-old missed most of the 2023 season due to injury, having undergone surgery on both her wrists and her ankle after playing just 10 matches across five tournaments and posting a 5-5 record.

Speaking to Sky Sports following her triumph in New Zealand, Raducanu described how she felt during and after the match and identified what pleased her in her display.

“It’s a weird one, I didn’t really know what I felt during or at the end of the match. Usually you have such a clear emotion, whether that’s nerves, whether that’s happiness – I think I was just a bit like, just struck and just a bit in shock really because eight months is a long time,” she explained.

“I mean, I’ve really been through it, so it’s just great to be healthy and to be on the court and competing again. I think it’s a match that really tested the fight, I think it’s a match that really tested the ability to stay calm under pressure and composed and keep being in the moment.

“So I think that overall for a first match back after so long, I think that in terms of just fighting and sticking in there in the tough moments, I really got the test times like 10.

“I think that I’ve always been a good competitor and that really came out today. It came out even though it’s been hiding for the last eight months. I still had it, which I was really proud of.

“The body held up really good. I’m really grateful and thank thanking everyone at the LTA, they helped me out so much physically.

“I felt really good on the court and it was nice and refreshing to be playing a match and not thinking of niggles, not thinking of injuries and actually just being able to focus on the tennis and what I wanted to do tactically and not hoping that the points are over quickly.

“I felt like I was there physically for however long the points kind of went. So that was a good feeling too.”

Raducanu also looked ahead to her second round clash with second seed and world No 25 Elina Svitolina.

“I think the first one is always difficult. But the adrenaline that you get playing a match, it can’t be replicated doing anything in training or anything else in life really. So I’m looking forward to getting another dose of it,” Raducanu continued.

“We’ve never played before, but she’s been at the top of the game for so long and I’m really looking forward to it because now that I’ve got my first match out of the system, I’m not saying the second one will be easy because it’s still relative and compared to all the other players I’m very light on matches, I think that I’m just really excited to test myself against one of the best.

“And I have nothing to lose, so I’m looking forward to it.”

READ MORE: Emma Raducanu’s post-match comments highlight how far she has come after WTA Tour comeback