Johanna Konta: Emma Raducanu won't take 'extra time out' after surgery, can still do 'brilliant things'
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Published 09/05/2023 at 08:37 GMT
Emma Raducanu is set to miss the French Open and Wimbledon after undergoing surgery on her hands and ankle. Raducanu could also be a doubt for the US Open, which starts in late August, but former British No. 1 Johanna Konta thinks she will want to "come back as soon as possible". Konta has also assessed how Raducanu will be "managing her load" in her recovery.
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Former British No. 1 Johanna Konta does not expect Emma Raducanu to take “extra time out just for the sake of it” following surgery and thinks she can still do “brilliant things”.
The 20-year-old is set to miss the French Open and Wimbledon, and could also be a doubt for the US Open, where she won in stunning fashion as a qualifier in 2021.
Raducanu has been managing issues with her hand for most of the season, and Konta thinks she will come back stronger from the surgery.
"Overall, I can imagine that this surgery wasn't a surprise for Emma," the former world No. 4 told Sky Sports.
"She's probably had enough time to work up her feelings and go through everything in her head so now it's going to be the big recovery process. I don't think it would have been a shock to her which is why she seems in decent spirits.
"I don't think her age is a worry. Because she is 20, she's got a long time because she's at the early stages of her career. She's going to have enough time to keep building up her body, keep building up her strength.
"Obviously, you don't want to be young and having surgery. However, there have been a lot of athletes throughout history that have had surgery young and they still come back stronger, come back better and do brilliant things in the sport.
"It is a hurdle, but one that she is well equipped to overcome and she has time on her side."
Raducanu is set to drop out of the top 100 for the first time since her shock US Open victory.
Konta doesn’t expect Raducanu to “rush” her recovery but thinks she will be keen to return to action.
"I think she will want to get back on court as soon as she can and if she can come back for the US Open, she will," she said.
"Whether her body will allow that and whether her rehab course will allow that, I think that will remain to be seen.
“I think as a player you want to come back as soon as possible. You want to put in the work to be able to be back on tour, playing tournaments. That's where you want to be so I don't think she will be taking any extra time out just for the sake of it."
Raducanu has struggled with niggling injuries since winning her maiden Grand Slam title.
Last year – her first full season on the WTA Tour - was disrupted by several issues, and in 2023 she has also faced problems with her hands and ankle.
"Emma has come very quickly out of the starting blocks with the US Open and everything so I think she needs that time to be able to build her body up,” added Konta.
“For me I think it was just about staying present about really looking after my body the best I could and listening to the people around me.
"I was really fortunate because I had good people around me and I really put a lot of trust in them. It's also about management because you have to manage your body. Every athlete on tour is carrying something but obviously not everyone is getting surgery for it but your body is going to be a continuous management process throughout your whole career.
"It's definitely going to be a process. I think her team are going to be managing her load and seeing how much load she is going to take. This spot now is going to be a nice time to start again and now it will be about not loading her too quickly. If you rush the recovery process with anything nine times out of 10 it doesn't end well."
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