Why Raducanu is giving herself a 'pat on the back' for 2024

Emma Raducanu played a joint career-high 36 matches in 2024, finishing with a 23-13 win-loss record

Like any athlete returning from long-term injury, Emma Raducanu has needed patience and perspective.

The 22-year-old Briton has been rebuilding her career this year after missing most of 2023 following surgery on both wrists and her left ankle.

In April, Raducanu was ranked 303rd in the world.

Now the 2021 US Open champion is back inside the top 60 and feeling positive, after a turbulent season ended on a high.

BBC Sport looks at Raducanu's progress and how the British number two can improve in 2025.

Wimbledon run & rankings rise - the highs

When Raducanu was preparing for her return a year ago, she spoke about making a "fresh start".

Climbing almost 250 spots is impressive by anyone's standards.

In fact, her rise this year has only been bettered by three WTA players - Japan's four-time major champion Naomi Osaka (unranked to 59th), Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic (549th to 85th) and American Amanda Anisimova (359th to 36th).

Jumping so high having played just 14 ranking tournaments is a source of pride for Raducanu.

Only Czech player Karolina Muchova, who reached the US Open semi-finals, is ranked inside the top 60 having competed in fewer.

"Sometimes I need reminding: I'm top 60 and I've played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of," Raducanu told BBC Sport.

"I have to pat myself on the back for that."

Progress was steady rather than spectacular at the start of her comeback. Positive signs were followed by setbacks, demonstrating why expectations needed to be tempered.

The highlight of Raducanu's year was the British grass season.

Runs to the Nottingham quarter-finals and Eastbourne semi-finals teed up a heartening Wimbledon, which ended in the last 16 but further fuelled her "fire".

Raducanu skipped the Olympics and endured a difficult US Open swing, before reaching a fourth quarter-final of the season at September's Korea Open.

A foot injury halted her momentum, but she finished on a high by winning all three of her matches to help Britain reach the BJK Cup semi-finals.

"I know I'm a dangerous player," said Raducanu, who has earned £11m in her comeback year and is seventh on a list of highest-earning female athletes in the world according to sports business experts Sportico.

"I know no-one wants to pull my name in the draw.

"I take pride in that and I'm looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year."

Tearful admissions & more injuries - the lows

It has been far from smooth sailing, though.

Crumbling to a straight-set defeat in Madrid against Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle, a week after pushing world number one Iga Swiatek on the Stuttgart clay, was a reality check.

Afterwards Raducanu complained about feeling "exhausted". It led to some criticism, including from her BJK Cup captain Anne Keothavong, but served as a reminder of the physical work still to do.

Managing her workload has been key, but it had a detrimental effect at times.

Raducanu played only once between the All England Club in early July - where she also pulled out of playing mixed doubles with Andy Murray in his Wimbledon farewell - and the US Open in late August, leading to a rusty first-round exit in New York.

Afterwards came a tearful admission that it was a "lesson learned".

Even so, Raducanu looked on course during the Asian hard-court swing to set a new personal high of Tour-level matches played in one year.

Missing the rest of the WTA season with sprained foot ligaments threatened that, but her BJK Cup appearances meant she equalled her previous best of 36 Tour-level matches.

British number three Sonay Kartal believes Raducanu deserves a lot of credit for the way she has dealt with setbacks under intense scrutiny.

"Going from being out for a few weeks to back on the match court is tough. To do it at the highest level is even tougher," Kartal, a close friend and childhood rival, told BBC Sport.

"People always looking in on you doesn’t help. Tennis is stressful as it is, so it makes it even tougher."

Improving fitness & serving stronger - the future

After her BJK Cup experience, an enthused Raducanu immediately started her pre-season programme in London with a new addition to her team.

Renowned trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who previously worked with Maria Sharapova and Osaka, has been enlisted to help make her body more robust.

"I needed a more tailored approach and someone dedicated to me," said Raducanu, who travels to Brisbane this week to continue preparations before the new season starts on 30 December.

"My athleticism is a big strength that I have nowhere near fulfilled. I think I can become one of the best athletes in tennis."

Coach Nick Cavaday, her childhood mentor who she reunited with at the start of 2024, will continue his role as part of a tight-knit team.

Particular attention is being paid to turning her serve into a "weapon".

Lengthening her takeback, having gone to a shorter swing in the summer, has brought more rhythm, consistency and power.

"Yutuka adds another dimension to the way Nick and I work - it has become integrated and connected," Raducanu added.

"We can already see things that we do in the gym transferring onto the tennis court.

"We're on a journey of exploration."