Is Emma Back?

To say it's been a challenging 2026 season for Emma Raducanu would be an understatement.

Having been out for two and a half months with a post-viral illness and having won just one match since March, questions have been asked about Raducanu's spirit...

Has she got the heart for the fight? 

Is she resilient enough to come through tough situations? 

Well, this week she answered her critics and in the process stuck two proverbial fingers up at all those niggly naysayers. 

Okay, she may have just missed out on being the first British female to win at Queen's since Ann Jones in 1969, but there was more than enough on display to get us all very excited. 

Raducanu reached the final without dropping a set and, while she ultimately came up short against Vekic, there was clear evidence of how the grass courts suit her.

Firstly, her movement on the surface is natural and confident - unlike many of her peers who are brought up playing on clay and hard courts. 

Secondly, the ball's tendency to have a lower, skiddier bounce on grass means Raducanu's serve and groundstrokes have more punch.

Despite falling short in her bid for a dream title on home soil, Raducanu chose to focus on the positives:

"I think I'm playing pretty freely, pretty aggressively, but finding the right balance," she said. "I've been returning well, serving pretty well. It's important on grass."

"It has been an incredible week for me, making the final here in my home city, at my home tournament," Raducanu said after her defeat. "The support I have received has been incredible, so I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone."

Former British No.1 Tim Henman echoed this sentiment: "I think this has been such a positive week to have Emma back competing and winning matches, playing that controlled, aggressive tennis that we've seen in the past."

"It's pretty clear to see that she was in great spirits on the court; her body language looked very positive. There's so much upside from this week."

Raducanu has long been searching for freedom on the court, playing with a looseness which allows her natural game to flourish. Over the past week at Queen's it seems like she has found it.

Rehiring Richardson looks to have been a masterstroke. Raducanu reunited with her US Open-winning coach just last month, and it already seems to be paying off. 

Under his tuition she has played four tour-level tournaments - including the 2021 US Open and this year's Queen's - and won 14 of her 17 matches. 

"It's great to have him back. I think we have been working on this game style. The whole week I have been playing really, really good tennis and the brand of tennis that I really want to play." Raducanu said.

"I wouldn't say it's necessarily the old Emma. I think it's the new Emma."

Amen to that! 

So, with Wimbledon just around the corner, what of her chances? Well, the momentum she has generated in west London is a huge step in the right direction.

Since becoming a Grand Slam champion as a teenage qualifier, Raducanu has reached the second week of a major on just one other occasion - at Wimbledon two years ago. 

She obviously loves the surface, and in this rich vein of form, another deep run in front of a supportive home crowd at the All England Club is certainly not out of the question. 

We're all rooting for you, Emma...

Now go get 'em'!