After leading Great Britain to victory against France in the Billie Jean King Cup on Saturday, Emma Raducanu, a former US Open champion, declared that she is playing the “best tennis” of her life.
Raducanu overcame a set down to defeat Diane Parry of France 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1), giving her team an unthreatening 3-1 lead and a place in the new-look finals for the first time, excluding when Britain hosted the game in 2022. At that point, Britain was leading the tie 2-1.
According to Raducanu, “I feel like I am playing the best tennis of my career and my life,” therefore in terms of tennis, he has improved, according to BBC Sport.
“It took strong character to get through the moments I did over the last two days, when the entire stadium is essentially against you.”
Raducanu has battled with form and health since stunningly winning the US Open in 2021 at the age of 18, and he has failed to advance past the second round of a grand slam. She eventually had surgery in May 2023 on both wrists and one ankle, and she missed Wimbledon and the French Open that year in order to heal.
It was a significant accomplishment for her to participate in two straight three-set matches in the Billie Jean King Cup, as it signals the start of her climb back up the rankings from her present position as the world’s 302nd player.
In an on-court interview, she stated, “To be able to put two matches like that back-to-back, three sets on clay against really tough opponents, it’s just testament to the work we’ve been doing.” “I’m glad it could show this weekend; I knew it would pay off eventually.”
This British team, which started the match as the underdog, faced a tough test when they traveled to France to play on clay courts. The strain only increased for Raducanu when her partner Katie Boulter passed tragically.
