It’s That Time of the Year: Raducanu Time

Emma Raducanu did something incredible a few years back, capturing the hearts of millions around the world. Ever since then, those same people have been clamoring for a repeat, or at the very least a respectable sequel. Unfortunately for all of them (and their numbers have dwindled since then), it hasn’t really materialized yet.

But every year, there comes a moment when those faithful get incredibly excited about Raducanu returning to the courts and possibly delivering that long-awaited encore. That time has arrived again, and boy, did she give us something to talk about.

The Raducanu Mystery

Raducanu famously became the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam when she conquered the 2021 US Open. It was a fabulous moment in tennis history, and a legend was born literally overnight. Well, over a fortnight, but the point stands.

Fans were mesmerized, pundits were hypnotized, and everyone thought a new superstar had arrived on the scene. It wasn’t just that she won it, but that she genuinely played like a proper superstar at times. Listen, at her best, Raducanu is easily a top 10 player.

The problem? She’s rarely that player. She struggles with injuries and a litany of other issues, some better left unsaid. That being said, at her peak, she’s an absolute joy to watch, and she looked pretty strong in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open.

Her opponent was no slouch either. Manachaya Sawangkaew knows how to play tennis and does it quite well. Is she a world beater or elite? No. But she’s pretty decent, and Raducanu made her look thoroughly outclassed. It wasn’t an amazing display from Raducanu by any stretch of the imagination.

She was merely decent, but for a fanbase starved of anything great from Raducanu, it was a much-needed showing. The Brit ultimately won 6-4, 6-1. It took her only 72 minutes and was overall a clean performance: 17 winners, 17 unforced errors. That’s pretty good.

Is This the Year?

Right now, all of us Emma Raducanu fans are experiencing that famed phenomenon. It’s that time of the year when she shows some promise, and we all collectively lose our minds, hoping that this is finally when she goes supernova again.

Time will tell whether this is truly the year she finally returns to the top 10, where she belongs, but there were signs that things are moving in the right direction. Last year was pretty decent overall. She didn’t play many matches, but when she did, she looked okay.

Naturally, she’ll need to improve a lot. She’ll actually need to start playing more matches. She’ll need to start proving she can genuinely handle some of the best, because when you’re Raducanu, you can’t be satisfied with just being okay.

You have to really push for it. The good news is that she’s only 23. There’s time, plenty of time, because the talent she’s shown in the past won’t just evaporate. She will have to hone it, though, and she hasn’t done that so far. Whether she will or not will make or break her career.