Perhaps no one could understand Emma Raducanu’s experience like her fellow former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, and the latter would be only too happy to sit down and talk to her about it.
The Canadian knocked Raducanu out of the Miami Open last week, sparking a run to the fourth round in which she began to resemble the player who stunned Serena Williams in the 2019 Flushing Meadows final.
He was part of a sudden rise to fame that season as a teenager, similar to that of Raducanu two years later. As is known, they share other things in common, such as a degree of Romanian heritage and being born outside of Toronto.
Both have found it difficult to rediscover that New York magic, and the whole experience is something that freshman Andreescu, who will play in Miami in the round of 16 on Monday night, would like to compare notes on.
“I would love to talk to her about what happened after the US Open,” said the 22-year-old Canadian. All the success, all the media stuff like that, how she handled it, how I handled it, how can we help each other that way.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu (right) and Canada’s Bianca Andreescu have a lot in common: They both won the US Open as teenagers but have struggled to recapture those feats.
Andreescu defeated Raducanu in the first round of the Miami Open last week
“Also, I know that neither of us have had, I suppose, the results that we wanted. I don’t want to speak on her behalf, but I’m sure he wants to make it better than he is. And maybe we could help each other in that regard.
Andreescu suffered a serious knee injury after 2019, and in the midst of the pandemic, found himself wanting to call it quits altogether. She has found solace in yoga, meditation, and reading, and has spoken about these aspects that have helped improve her mental health.
It’s a theme that has resurfaced in tennis in recent days with 29-year-old former world number 10 Lucas Pouille of France telling L’Equipe how poor form saw him descend into a spiral of Depression you just came out of. emergent.
Andreescu acknowledges that her journey has been even more complex than Raducanu’s in a period in which neither has won a title since the US Open. She preaches patience.
“I played a few tournaments after that, but then I got injured,” Andreescu says. ‘ I didn’t touch anything for a long time. I mean, Covid hit and it just wasn’t in a good place. Not playing a lot of tennis, because of lockdowns and things like that. It’s really complicated.
“To think that it was almost four years ago is absolutely insane. I feel like I had a lot of time to settle in and figure out what’s best for me. I know, it wasn’t going to happen overnight. Four years later, I hope I can get another Grand Slam as soon as I can.
“Honestly, it was me wanting to find out if I really wanted to continue playing tennis because I was literally about to drop my rackets and say ‘Fuck this’, because I wasn’t happy at all and I wasn’t basically happy. for the whole year of 2021. I thought if I continue like this it will only get worse.
“So I said, ‘Okay, let’s take a break.’ I hope that helps. And he really did. My heart grew fonder of the sport, and now I appreciate it in a very different way than I did before.
Andreescu (left) shocked Serena Williams to win the 2019 US Open, before Raducanu (right) also won the Slam as a teenager two years later.
Raducanu says goodbye to the Miami Open after a disappointing exit in the first round
“Everything physical comes from the mental side of everything, emotional spiritual, so I feel like it’s mostly in my head. I think that has been the hardest part because I know that if everything is okay in my head, everything will be okay physically. I’m really having fun. I think that’s the most important thing.
While Andreescu, whose parents are originally from Romania, like Raducanu’s father Ian, would happily chat with the British player, he also reached out to the younger members of the locker room, based on his own experience of becoming a sudden interloper when his star ascended. in 2019.
“There were many people who welcomed me and some who weren’t so,” he says.
I have talked to some younger athletes who have been in the locker room and some of them have said that they have looked up to me, so I don’t want to turn my head against these people, because I remember being in their shoes. .
“I just want them to feel welcome and if they need to talk to me, I’ll be happy to help.”