Emma Raducanu has admitted that her recovery process from a back injury has forced her to confront one of her greatest fears: needles. The 2021 US Open winner, who suffered from back pain earlier this year during the Australian Open and again at the Strasbourg Open just days ago, revealed that dealing with needles has been the most challenging aspect of her rehabilitation.
Now 22 years old and ranked world No. 41, Raducanu shared that she is still on the path to regaining full fitness. Speaking to BBC Sport, she said treatments like dry needling and heat therapy have provided some relief. “It feels alright, it feels better—not completely there yet, but we’re getting there. I’ve got a few more days. I’d say the injury before Australia was worse. This time, I think I caught it before it became too serious,” she explained.
“At the beginning of the year, I was terrified of needles it was my biggest fear. But I’ve started to ease into it because I know it helps, even though I still find it scary. That’s how I’ve been trying to manage the pain,” Raducanu said.
The British star recently competed at the Italian Open, where she was eliminated in the round of 16 by Coco Gauff, who has since climbed to world No. 2. In Madrid, Raducanu exited in the second round after losing to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Raducanu is now preparing for her opening match at the French Open, set for Monday, May 26, where she will face China’s Wang Xinyu. She did not participate in last year’s tournament at Roland Garros, opting instead to focus on the grass and hard-court seasons while she was ranked No. 212.
Leave a Reply