Why a reset for Emma Raducanu can be a step in the right direction

Amid such scrutiny, Raducanu’s decision to miss an entire summer, including her home grand slam, is one that can offer reassurance in the long term. With the attention and demands that would have been placed on Raducanu ahead of Wimbledon – where she would have featured prominently as one of the star attractions – it is at this stage far more important to ensure any health and fitness issues are corrected ahead of future years. It would be perhaps fair to question why Raducanu has delayed surgery until now, given the pain she has played through over the past months, but a recurrence ahead of or during Wimbledon would have been difficult to deal with – just as it was when she suffered a side strain ahead of the tournament last year.

Instead, surgery now offers the chance for a full reset. That will be immediately noticeable in terms of her ranking – with Raducanu already set to drop out of the top 100, before her withdrawal from the French Open and Wimbledon. But behind the scenes it will be more significant, and if these three minor operations are successful and fix the issues the 20-year-old has been dealing with then Raducanu can start to build the platform that will allow her to display her ability more consistently. The road back from surgery is rarely easy but amid the blow of the British No 1 being ruled out of Wimbledon, there is some sense that this can also be a step in the right direction.

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