As she approaches the end of her 2024 campaign, Emma Raducanu is keen to build on the momentum she picked up with Team GB at the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga this week. 

The 2021 US Open champion was sidelined with a foot injury for two months before she joined her British teammates in the south of Spain, where they will face Slovakia in the semifinals on Tuesday.  

Raducanu, who has gone 2-0 in singles so far in Malaga, is feeling fresh and wants to kickstart her preseason training as soon as she is done with the Billie Jean King Cup. 

“I think traditionally you'd probably have a bit of a break and take a holiday or something,” Raducanu said. “But I feel like I have had four, five weeks off tennis, and I don't really need any more time off.

Must See

“If anything, I'm excited and just itchy to get on the practice court, and of course seeing some of my performances this week, it just incentivizes me to do more work.”

After spending eight months out of action last year while recovering from multiple surgeries, Raducanu, now 22, had a relatively light schedule this past season. Still, she won 20 of the 33 matches she contested on tour and will end her season ranked 58 in the world. 

She feels good about her first half of the year -- highlighted by a run to the fourth round at her home Grand Slam of Wimbledon -- but feels her body let her down in the latter stages of 2024.

“My assessment is, I think sometimes I need reminding,” she said. “I'm top 60 in the world and I have played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of, in a way.

“I have to pat myself on the back for that. I know I'm a dangerous player. I know no one wants to pull my name in the draw. I take pride in that, and I'm looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year.”

Growing up playing tennis in England, Raducanu is used to playing indoors, which explains how comfortable she has felt at the Martin Carpena Arena this week. 

Eager to match that comfort level when playing outdoors, Raducanu says she might head to Australia “a little bit earlier” to adjust to the outdoor conditions and be best prepared for 2025. 

Trying to play a full schedule is a top priority for Raducanu, but she has also experienced enough injury heartbreak to understand she must deal with such blows with a healthy perspective. 

When she injured her foot in Seoul in September and had to retire during her quarterfinal against Daria Kasatkina, Raducanu was admittedly “disappointed.”  

“There were so many tournaments,” Raducanu said. “I wasn't defending any points at the back end of the year, so of course I wanted to play. I think I just took the time and used it in a really proactive and productive way.

“Two days ago I served 10 aces, for example, which I did in Seoul in my last match, but it's been a work in progress. It doesn't just happen overnight. Even if I was a little bit, at the time, disappointed, now I feel pretty good, and I don't look back with any regrets.”

Raducanu plans on commencing her 2025 season at the ASB Classic, which kicks off in Auckland, New Zealand on Dec. 30. 

She sees her time on court this week in Malaga as “a really good introduction to match play” after recovering from injury and is taking confidence from her singles wins over Germany’s Jule Niemeier and Canada’s Rebecca Marino. 

“I'm playing some really tough opponents and not to be underestimated by their rankings on these surfaces, because both are very dangerous,” Raducanu said. “I'm really pleased with how I fought and how I'm faring up against these top girls. 

“I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot with my tennis right now.”