Raducanu Faces French Open Challenge With Back Pain and Needle Phobia Behind Her

Emma Raducanu ‘not 100%’ but ready to fight through fear and discomfort at Roland Garros

There was a time, not long ago, when Emma Raducanu couldn’t even look at a needle, let alone accept one as part of her regular therapy. But as she prepares to step onto the clay courts of Roland Garros for only the second time in her young career, the 22-year-old Briton is proving that growth in tennis doesn’t always come from technique or tactics—it also comes from facing your fears and trusting your body.

Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of her opening match at the 2025 French Open, Raducanu admitted that she’s still not operating at full fitness. A back spasm that flared up during a warm-up tournament in Strasbourg earlier this week left her “managing” discomfort in practice, though she insists she’s in a better position than earlier in the year when a similar issue struck before the Australian Open.

“It feels OK, it feels good—not 100% yet, but we’re working towards that,” she said. “I still have a couple of days.”

From fear of needles to dry needling treatment

Her recovery routine has involved dry needling and heat therapy, two treatments that would’ve been unthinkable for her not so long ago.

“At the start of the year, I was so scared of needles,” Raducanu said with a laugh. “It was my biggest phobia. That was the only way I was going to be able to play Australia, so I had to confront it.”

And confront it she has. Raducanu has gradually incorporated dry needling into her recovery process, despite lingering discomfort with the procedure. But if it helps her stay on court, she’ll take it.

“Since then, I’ve been kind of dipping my toes into it because I know it helps—even though I’m really scared of them. That’s how I’ve been trying to manage it.”

Clay court conundrum and comeback story

Katie Boulter hits a return during French Open practice vs raducanu

The British number two returns to the French Open after a turbulent couple of years on and off the court. After wrist and ankle surgeries sidelined her for much of 2023, she’s made impressive strides in her comeback. Having fallen out of the world’s top 300 last season, Raducanu has clawed her way back into the top 50 with a mix of persistence, physical resilience, and tournament mileage.

In fact, she’s already played more tournaments in the first five months of this season than she did in all of 2022. Her opponent in the first round is China’s Wang Xinyu—a tough but beatable assignment. In her only previous appearance at Roland Garros in 2022, Raducanu reached the second round.

Clay has never been her favourite surface, and it’s not just a question of movement or footwork. Longer rallies and high-bouncing balls put extra pressure on the lower back, an area that remains vulnerable for Raducanu. Still, her adaptability has improved markedly in 2025, and she now listens to her body more than she ever did during her rapid rise.

“I just kept pushing through because people were telling me I wasn’t tough enough,” she explained. “Like, I needed to just work through it—‘it’s normal I’m feeling fatigued because I’m training so much.’ But in reality, I knew there was pain, and I knew it felt more than just soreness.”

It’s an insight into the kind of pressures Raducanu has faced since her breakthrough triumph at the 2021 US Open—pressures to perform, to train through pain, to live up to impossible expectations. “I wish I had listened to myself sooner,” she admitted. “I would’ve saved myself maybe eight to twelve months of struggling. But I guess I can learn from that.”

British number one battle heats up

Raducanu’s rise has reignited the race for British number one, with three women now jostling for the top spot in the national rankings.

Katie Boulter, who has held the title of British number one for nearly two years, continues to set the pace. The 28-year-old added a WTA 125 clay-court title to her résumé last week, boosting her ranking to world No. 38. That puts her just five spots ahead of Raducanu and 15 above Sonay Kartal, whose breakthrough season has seen her climb to No. 53.

“I want to see Emma and Sonay, and anyone else, pushing me in the rankings,” Boulter said in Paris. “My primary focus is going to be on myself. I take being British number one as a privilege, but it’s not my ultimate goal. It’s not something I want to write down on a piece of paper and say I’ve done for ten years.”

For Boulter, a first main-draw win at Roland Garros remains elusive. But this year she’s been handed a favourable draw: French qualifier Carole Monnet, ranked 227th in the world, awaits in round one. It’s a golden chance for the Leicester native to take another step forward.

Kartal’s rise and Burrage’s comeback

Sonay Kartal, meanwhile, is making her main-draw debut at the French Open and could face a brutal second-round test against 2022 finalist Coco Gauff. But the 23-year-old has plenty of belief, especially on clay.

“I love the clay. I grew up playing on it,” she said. “For me, I feel comfortable on these courts. I think they suit me really well.”

Kartal’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable. A year ago, she was ranked outside the top 270, having battled an unspecified illness and injury setbacks. Now, she’s on the brink of the top 50 and enters Paris with momentum.

Also joining the British contingent is Jodie Burrage, who’s using a protected ranking to make her main-draw debut after missing last year’s event due to a ruptured ankle ligament. The 25-year-old faces a daunting task against former world No. 7 Danielle Collins, but her perspective is different now.

Earlier this week, her phone reminded her just how far she’s come—sending her a photo from a year ago in a protective boot and crutches.

“I needed that reminder,” Burrage said. “I didn’t have an amazing practice yesterday, but then I was reminded that I was sat on my couch with my foot in a boot. That gave me a lift.”

Eyes on Paris, but the long game continues

For Emma Raducanu, her Roland Garros campaign will be as much about how she handles her body as how she handles her opponents. She’s no longer the teen who stunned the world at Flushing Meadows, but that’s not a bad thing. She’s older now, wiser, and—most importantly—more in tune with her physical limits and emotional needs.

“I’m doing everything I can to be ready,” she said, smiling. “Even if I’m not 100%, I know I’ve prepared the best I can.”

It’s not just about winning matches anymore. For Raducanu, it’s about building a career that lasts. Facing phobias, managing injuries, and learning to trust herself—that’s the foundation she’s laying in Paris.