Emma Raducanu just wants to have fun

Emma Raducanu will be leaving the Miami Open without the crystal singles trophy, or the check for $1.1 million that comes with it. But she will be toting things of much greater value: Increased self-knowledge, and a rekindled love of the game in which she’s had such a curious history.

In a poignant admission to reporters after the 22-year-old from Great Britain toppled Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round, Raducanu said: “Circumstances change all the time, but for me the biggest thing I'm proud of is just finding, I guess, the competitive spirit. . . I think that's kind of been missing in the last few months and even a few years at times.”

The recovery of her mojo was evident during her quarterfinal run. It’s the first time Raducanu has reached that round in a WTA 1000. Once again, her movement was dynamic as well as balletic. Power and grace flowed in her game, her strokes were streamlined and elegant.

The biggest win I would say from this week is just feeling a lot of hunger That being competitive, running down every ball. Emma Raducanu

Ultimately, Raducanu’s push was ended by No. 4-ranked Jessica Pegula late Wednesday evening, in a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 win that might have gone the other way had a key break point in the eighth game of the third set gone to the returner instead of Pegula. But never mind about that. The headline news, confirmed by the eyes, was that Raducanu is playing Top 10-grade tennis once again.

Raducanu’s brand of tennis was the foundation for one of the greatest achievements in tennis history when, at age 18 and ranked just No. 150, she qualified for the 2021 US Open—then won the whole danged thing. Without losing a set. In just her second Grand Slam main draw. But the price for such outlandish success was severe.

Like Alice in Wonderland, Raducanu found herself falling down a rabbit hole of sorts after accomplishing her career-shaping feat. She found herself in a landscape full of glittering new opportunities, but psychically the terrain was also treacherous, with looming pressures and expectations. Great players generally spend some time relegated to being The Next Big Thing. Not Raducanu. During one magical fortnight in New York she emerged as, simply, The Big Thing.

Still, Raducanu hit a career high—and early peak—of No. 10 in the summer of 2022. But her title defense in New York just weeks later was a disaster (she lost in the first round). By early October, Raducanu was down to No. 67.

Injuries also began to play an increasing role in Raducanu’s efforts—she’s already had surgeries on a wrist and an ankle, in addition to bouts of common back pain. They prevented her from building momentum and achieving consistent results.

Some critics and disgruntled fans have accused her of being a “drama queen” for a host of reasons, including her independence of spirit and an already legendary history of short-term relationships with a series of coaches (five in two years, at one point in 2023). But Raducanu has pushed back against that characterization, telling broadcaster Sky Sports that her “provoking" questions made coaches feel challenged and uncomfortable.

Over time, people outside the UK largely forgot about Raducanu, and she about them. Tennis is a fast-moving game, and fans have short memories. Her motivation wavered, she found little joy in playing. But a WTA pro who feels ambivalent about the occupation, or lacks the spark to leap out of bed in the morning and cry, “Get me Sabalenka!” is starting every day down love-30.

So it went for Raducanu, until she won the one match everyone on earth expected her to lose. After the Grand Slam bigs, Emma Navarro has been one of the toughest outs in the WTA. She and Raducanu met in the third round in Miami, with Raducanu winning the fiercely contested match in a third-set tiebreaker.

It was such an morale-boosting win for Raducanu that when asked to compare it to her US Open triumph of 2021 she said that while the two were not comparable in terms of “magnitude,” the recent one might have meant more “emotionally.”

“When I won the US Open,” she said. “I just won 10 matches in straight sets. It was, I mean, I didn't have, like, the losses, the downs, the months of, like. . . losing streaks.”

That win over Navarro was a mood elevator, for certain. But Raducanu’s approach to the tournament in general was at least equally instrumental in her success. She was done with getting “locked in” at tournaments, with grueling 60-minute plus practices, tense silences instead of happy chatter, lengthy sessions on the court and in the gym.

“Long days,” she said. “All the time.”

In Miami, Raducanu and her team (part-time coach/adviser Mark Petchey, fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, and loyal ally Jane O'Donoghue) focused on bringing more “fun” into the program. That included less intense warm-ups and, instead of straight-line sprints, fooling around with three different sports (including American football).

“Getting a good sweat on, laughing,” Raducanu said. “Then you go onto the court feeling a lot more relaxed, every part of you just. . . looser.”

READ MORE: Football, cornhole, a bit of golf: How Emma Raducanu finds “inner calmness” in Miami

That approach certainly aligns with Raducanu’s self-image. She told Sky Sport that she’s a “free spirit,” who doesn’t need “restrictions,” or someone—a coach?—telling her what to do. She added, “I feel when I am boxed into a regimented way then I am not able to express myself in the same way.”

This borders on heresy in a sport whose top practitioners pride themselves on their regimentation, the willingness to hit a zillion forehands in every practice session, adhering to a strict diet, workout, and sleep schedule. You want to be free spirit? Go become a surfer, or a poet or artist. But it appears that Raducanu is more artist than warrior, and that bit of self-knowledge is just one more thing she will take home from Miami.

It will be interesting to see where she takes it from there, especially during the grass-court season.