Emma Raducanou will miss the French Open and Wimbledon due to wrist and ankle surgery. Credit: Getty Images/Robert Prange
The Former UK No. 1 Laura Robson advised Emma Radukan to take a complete mental break from tennis, to the point of not covering the French Open next week while she recovers from multiple surgeries at the both wrists and one ankle.
Robson, who herself underwent wrist surgery nearly a decade ago, warned that getting enough rest would be the best way to prepare for what will be “a little tiring” when rehab begins. But she also sounded far more optimistic about Radukan's long-term outlook than Boris Becker, who called the injuries “career-threatening” in a recent interview.
“Obviously I didn't have a very good time with my wrists,” said Robson, who was in the top 50 when she first went under the knife but never reached that height again. “Someone like [Juan Martin] Del Potro didn’t have a very good time with his either. But equally, there are just as many success stories that I don't think people talk about that much.”
Robson clearly disagrees with the seriousness of Becker's assessment, published this week in The Guardian. According to Becker, “The operations that [Radukan] underwent, in my opinion, threaten his career. Operation on the gaming wrist, and if you play with a two-handed player, then on the other wrist, and then on the ankle, it’s hard for a young woman to transfer.”
Robson was more optimistic, explaining: “There was quite a lot of talk about the wrist being the end of the world! But I thought to myself, “I know just as many people who have had successful surgeries.” Take, for example, [former US Open runner-up] Madison Keys: maybe two years ago she had a wrist operation by the same surgeon that I had in the States and it was completely successful. She hasn't even been out for very long.
Laura Robson says that Radukanu can recover from her operations and become a force again. Photo: Jeff Pugh for Telegraph
“Besides, every injury is unique,” Robson added. “I had an almost super-flexible joint. He wore out too much because he moved too much. So by the time I even started to feel pain, it was already quite far in terms of damage. Emma has problems with bumps on her bones; it's actually the upper arm rather than the wrist.”
Although Robson will be part of the Eurosport team for two weeks at Roland Garros, she advised Radukan not to pay close attention to the event. On the contrary, in fact.
Radukan has form when it comes to “living under my own little rock” – to borrow a phrase she used in March. Earlier in the same BBC interview, she said she had thrown Instagram and WhatsApp off her phone and didn't miss them at all. The negative comments seem to have played their part. Radukan explained that no matter what happens on the playground, “people will still come to you.”
At least now she can get away from the repetitive rituals of the tour — hotel rooms, massage beds, and practice courts — for a few quiet months. In fact, Radukan's Instagram feed shows that she was in Mexico City this week as part of her sponsorship deal with Dior. In the photographs, she wears a large cast on her left wrist, but only a small band-aid on the back of her right hand. stop from the US Open to the end,” Robson said. “Rehab after surgery is never easy. So in this first phase, when you can't really do very much, I think it's very important to relax a little.
“That's what I've always tried to do because you get a little tired when you start physio again. You'll be at the National Tennis Center every day knowing to yourself, “Okay, I'm here for the next three months, religiously.” I've had surgery, a cast, there's really not much I can do, I think it's so important to stay fresh.”
Earlier this week, Raducanou appeared in Mexico as a Dior ambassador (left). She posted the photo on the right to announce that she has returned to the UK.
Was Robson herself able to stay away from tennis during the various injury layoffs [which also included hip problems late in her career]? She says she did her best to resist, but ended up being drawn to follow the action anyway.
“I actually always watched it. Yes, perhaps not the best solution. You have so many fomo [fear of missing out] all the time. Like, everyone played these huge matches, and I just wanted to see what level it was. I wanted to see the storylines unfold, I've always been a tennis fan first
“Almost all the players I know turn on the TV and watch more tennis when they come back from a long day at Wimbledon,” added Robson. “You may have multi-screen running at the same time during the first rounds. Even though it can be exhausting, everyone wants to be punished.”
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