In the competitive age of sports, the expectations from fans can be limitless. Ask Emma Raducanu, who achieved a shock US Open win back in 2021. She entered the tournament as a qualifier and with hardly any chance to progress through. To everyone’s surprise, the Brit won every set en route to clinching the trophy there. It was her biggest career win, and the expectations from her skyrocketed after that victory. Fast forward to the 2025 US Open, and fans are once again rooting for her at the same venue where she tasted success four years back.
After her US Open win in 2021, Raducanu has struggled to replicate her success. One of the main reasons for her downfall has been her constant injury struggles. Although Raducanu knows the recipe for success in New York, times have significantly changed, and she has to press the restart button when she steps onto the courts at the upcoming US Open.
Talking about the memories from that win, Emma Raducanu said, “I think it’s been four years now; I don’t think it’s fully gone away. Maybe in a few years, maybe when I’m older, more mature, but it’s hard to put that aside completely. It’s always in the back of your mind, but it’s more just being aware of those thoughts and then not letting it crash your day or ruin the work that you’re doing and bringing it back to what I’m doing now and the process.”
Emma Raducanu Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Day 5, The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, UK – 04 Jul 2025London The All England Lawn Tennis and United Kingdom PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROUxBULxUAExKSAxCHNxDENxINDxITAxPORxESPxSWExTURxMEXxCOLxVENxPERxECUxBRAxARGxCHIxURUxPARxPANxONLY Copyright: xJavierxGarcia/Shutterstockx 15384469lk
This season has been the time of a gradual rise for Emma Raducanu. She has made her way back into the top 50 of the WTA rankings and put on largely consistent displays throughout this season. With the ultimate goal of replicating her success, Raducanu aims to go out all guns blazing in New York.
However, Raducanu isn’t the only player who is facing the brunt of massive fan expectations. Even the former US Open champion, Coco Gauff, has had to deal with unreal expectations from the fans.
Not just Emma Raducanu… Coco Gauff too broke her silence on massive fan expectations
The American sensation suffered a brutal loss at the Cincinnati Masters yesterday. She went down fighting against a spirited Jasmine Paolini in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Following the match, Gauff explained how the heightened expectations from fans affect her on-court performance. The fans expect her to win week in and week out, which is not realistically possible. Thus, she had a candid take on dealing with this situation.
Gauff revealed, “When you have a slam like now, compared to maybe before my US Open run, like, it’s a little bit easier the rest of the year, because now not everyone not calling you here bad because here, like, winning a slam is fine if you are having a good year or not, and not the other tournaments as well. It doesn’t just go for me; it goes for all the players.”
Further, she went on to add, “So for me, I think sometimes tennis fans want us to win like every week. But we’re playing 11 months. It’s not that easy, so it’s completely normal for a player to have a good 3-4 weeks, then maybe a not-so-good 3-4 weeks just because the way our season is built.”
With the US Open fast approaching, all eyes will be on the likes of Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu, who have won the tournament previously. Can the duo dig deep in the tournament? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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