Emma Raducanu has admitted that the Olympics being played on clay made a big difference in her decision to skip Paris 2024 and play the Washington Open instead.
Raducanu enjoys the Washington stop and believes her decision not to switch back to clay was best for her health in the long term.
The 21-year-old believes that she will get more chances to compete at the games on surfaces that would be less risky for her.
“No, I mean, had the Olympics been on a different surface, then I don’t know,” Raducanu said from Washington
“It’s obviously something that every athlete wants to be a part of. I had to think longer term. Hopefully I’ll have more Olympics in my career.
“I think coming here was 100% the right option.
“For immediate gratification, playing the Olympics would have been nice. But long-term perspective, long-term health, coming here… Also I love this tournament.
“Had it been a tournament maybe somewhere else that wasn’t as appealing to me, I probably could have reconsidered. But I love D.C. Coming here was very, yeah, enticing.”
Raducanu also said that she wouldn’t be glued to the television watching any of the Olympic tennis but might take in some of the other sports if she has the time.
She pointed out that for tennis players the Olympics is not really the pinnacle of the sport with the Grand Slams holding pride of place.
“I don’t think I’ll be watching, to be honest, that much of the tennis. I think I’ll watch the other sports,” Raducanu said.
“I mean, I think it’s a great opportunity for all the athletes.
“I think we’re fortunate in tennis that we have the Grand Slams.
“A lot of the other sports, they train four years for the Olympics, it’s their one opportunity, whereas I think for tennis, it depends. Everyone prioritizes different things, targets different things.
“For me at this point in time I’m prioritizing my health but also just, yeah, long-term longevity I’d say.”
Raducanu was happy to string some wins together through a solid grass court season and believes she can kick on to enjoy a strong US Open season.
“I think my level has been increasing in the past few months. More so I think it’s obviously amazing confirmation to get some match wins,” she said.
“I don’t necessarily derive my confidence just from matches or winning. I think I take a lot from practice, improving my level that way.
“I feel like I still have a long way to go in many areas of my game. I think I’m not fully in a place right now where I’m like, Okay, I have full confidence in everything that I’m doing, that I can produce the level that I want to all the time. I think there are still gaps.
“But it’s kind of nice to always have something to work on. I don’t necessarily, yeah, take confidence just from match wins. That’s why probably my schedule looks a little bit different than a lot of other players who play a lot more.
“I think for me, I like to take those weeks to train and practice. Especially at this stage, I’m only 21. Developing my game, although it might mean I climb the rankings slower to start with, I think the upside is a lot higher.”
