Emma Raducanu presents her plan after heavy criticism of her planning

Emma Raducanu has announced that she plans to play her full schedule on the Asian tour. The news comes after a summer in which the Briton’s schedule was heavily criticized and questioned.

After playing regularly for the first four months of the season, the former world number 10 skipped the Rome Open and French Open with many believing it was because she was not given a wildcard and did not want to qualify. The 21-year-old also faced backlash after skipping the Paris Olympics to prioritise a summer on hard courts – but she only played in Washington and had three weeks off from the US Open.

After being knocked out in the first round in New York, with Raducanu breaking down in tears and telling reporters she probably hadn’t made the wisest decisions in her planning for the final Grand Slam of the year, the British tennis star returned to action this week with a 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) victory over Peyton Stearns at the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul.

“I always knew that there was a very long block in Asia at the end of the year and I didn’t want to overexert myself in the first half of the year. If you look at the tournaments I played, they were relatively light tournaments. I skipped quite a few weeks on clay, knowing that I’m at a stage where I’m not trying to win every event on clay, grass and hard,” the current world No. 70 told WTA Insider.

“I have to prioritize and Asia was one of them for me. So I’ve been stacking the year heavily on the backend, because I’m excited. I thrive in Asia. It’s where I really feel at home. So I’m excited about that journey, even though it’s at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to getting out there and trying to do it.”

What will Raducanu’s schedule look like?

After the Korea Open, the British tennis star will probably try to play back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan. In mid-October, she could play in Osaka or Ningbo, while later that month she could appear in Tokyo or Guangzhou. Between October 28 and November 3, the WTA 250 event in Hong Kong starts and the British will play there, as she is already confirmed for that event.

Meanwhile, following her first-round victory in Seoul, Raducanu noted that her goal for the rest of the season is to play a lot, but also to try to improve in the process. After beating Stearns in a marathon that lasted two hours and 46 minutes, the 21-year-old will now play Yuan Yue.

“I think for the rest of the year, as long as I’m healthy, I’m going to try to finish the season and play as many games as possible. That’s something that I really haven’t had much of since the grass because of the DC period. I haven’t played many points, not even in training. So today, as tough as it was, I think I’ve had three hours of match experience, which can only help me for the next few weeks. For me now, I just want to play games and in the meantime work a little bit on my game where I can,” the Briton said.

Raducanu also seems to be fed up with the constant changes of coaches

As you probably know very well, the 2021 US Open champion has been one of the most criticized players in recent years, and she has been criticized for breaking up with five different coaches in the space of about two and a half years. But after splitting with Sebastian Sachs in mid-2023, it has taken the Brit a long time to find a replacement.

And she finally found it in a very familiar face — her youth coach, Nick Cavaday. Nearly 10 months into the season, the two are still working together, and all signs point to the 21-year-old finally making it through a full year with the same coach. Judging by Raducanu’s words, there’s good reason why she’s excited about what Cavaday has to offer.

“The relationship with the coach is very good. It’s really nice to be together. Nick is a competent coach, but more importantly, he’s a very good person. I think for me at the moment it’s best to be with a friend who I’ve known for a long time in a familiar environment, and I appreciate the time with him,” she said.

The former world number 10 returns to the court on Thursday to face eighth-seeded Yue for the first time. A win would see Raducanu reach the quarterfinals and put her just one win away from her second semifinal in Seoul – she was a semifinalist on her debut in 2022.