Emma Raducanu Admits Difficulty in Separating On-Court and Off-Court Personalities

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Vivek Devane | Last updated May 15, 2025 5:19 AM ET

After a disappointing loss to Coco Gauff at the Italian Open, British tennis star Emma Raducanu offered a candid reflection on how she has finds it difficult to have two personalities. The 2021 US Open champion opened up about how deeply intertwined her identity as a tennis player is with her personal sense of self.

“Yeah, big-time,” Raducanu said during her press conference at the Italian Open. “I think I'm a player who is very much- a feeling person. I find it very difficult to separate between the person that I am on the court and off the court.”

For Raducanu, the connection between performance and personal well-being is very much interdependent. She acknowledged that how she feels off the court, in terms of confidence, self-esteem, and mental clarity, directly influences how she competes.

“I try to make sure off the court everything is in a good way and I'm feeling I have like good self-esteem, I feel confident in myself, my abilities and my depth of knowledge and everything,” she explained.

“I think I'm just growing off the court, then that gives me confidence when I walk around. When I'm on-site, I'm like, hey, I'm not just necessarily just here to play tennis. I can go and rely on other things,” added Raducanu.

Her comments suggest a maturing mindset- one that recognizes that instead of separating her professional and personal lives she can integrate and compliment them. “I'm growing, I'm learning in this aspect of my life, as well,” she added. “Just cultivating a better version of myself, which I'm enjoying.”

While the loss to Gauff was another tough result in a season of ups and downs, Raducanu seemed to take the positives of finding her rhythm on clay, before heading to Roland Garros.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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