Emma Raducanu’s name became synonymous with sporting history almost overnight. In 2021, the British teenager stunned the tennis world by winning the US Open without dropping a set. She was only 18, came through qualifying, and defeated one opponent after another with remarkable composure. Suddenly, the question wasn’t whether Raducanu could become a star—it was how far she could go.

But professional tennis rarely follows a fairytale script.

Raducanu’s biggest challenge after her breakthrough has been staying healthy and building the consistency required to compete week after week. Injuries and physical setbacks interrupted her progress, including surgeries that forced lengthy periods away from competition. Instead of enjoying a smooth rise toward the top of the rankings, she repeatedly found herself rebuilding.

The pressure surrounding her was enormous. Winning a Grand Slam at 18 created expectations that few players could realistically meet. Every early loss was analyzed, every withdrawal became news, and every ranking movement attracted attention. The problem wasn’t necessarily a lack of talent. It was finding the physical stability and competitive rhythm needed to turn that talent into sustained success.

Raducanu has also experienced changes in her coaching setup and playing environment as she searched for the right formula. Developing a long-term career on the WTA Tour requires patience, tactical growth, physical conditioning, and confidence. Those elements become particularly difficult to establish when injuries repeatedly interrupt momentum.

Yet writing Raducanu off would be premature.

Her 2026 season has provided encouraging evidence that the former champion still has the ability to produce excellent tennis. She reached finals in Cluj-Napoca and London, showing flashes of the aggressive, fearless game that made her a Grand Slam champion. Her run to the Queen’s final was especially significant because it demonstrated that she could still put together several strong performances against tour-level competition.

Unfortunately, another setback followed. After reaching the Queen’s final, Raducanu withdrew from Wimbledon because of a stress fracture in her leg. Earlier in the year, she had also missed more than two months while dealing with a post-viral illness.

Those setbacks help explain why her career has appeared so unpredictable. When she is healthy and confident, Raducanu can compete with some of the world’s best players. But maintaining that level requires something she has struggled to enjoy consistently: uninterrupted time on court.

Her current story, therefore, isn’t really about a superstar who disappeared. It is about a young champion whose career has been repeatedly disrupted before she could establish her natural rhythm.

At just 23, Raducanu still has time to reshape the narrative. Her 2026 performances have already shown that the talent responsible for her historic US Open triumph remains. The next challenge is turning promising weeks into sustained seasons.

Perhaps the biggest mistake is judging Raducanu against the impossible expectations created by her extraordinary beginning. She doesn’t need to win another Grand Slam tomorrow to prove that her career matters. She needs health, continuity, confidence, and time.

The teenager who shocked the world in New York may not have disappeared after all. She may simply be writing a much more complicated chapter before discovering what the next one holds.