Emma Raducanu finds inspiration in Andre Agassi's autobiography

As Emma Raducanu plots a route back to the pinnacle of professional tennis, the British player has been drawing inspiration and guidance from Andre Agassi's 2009 autobiography to help navigate her own challenging period.

Five years have passed since Raducanu made history at the age of 18 by becoming the first qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. Similarly, American tennis legend Agassi was a teenage prodigy who claimed his first major singles title at Wimbledon in 1992 at the age of 22, eventually completing a career Grand Slam and winning Olympic gold in 1996.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

However, both players faced steep career hurdles. Agassi endured a difficult four-year stretch without a major title during which his ranking plummeted to 141st in the world. Raducanu told Uniqlo that she was particularly intrigued by passages detailing how Agassi hauled himself out of his late-1990s slump by devising his own bespoke training regimen and finding his way back to the top, noting how deeply relatable his experiences were.

Raducanu reached a career-high ranking of 10th in July 2022, but the 23-year-old has since slipped down to 98th in the world. Her ongoing progress has been repeatedly hampered by physical setbacks, most recently missing the US Open as she continues recovering from a stress fracture in her lower right leg. A foot injury also disrupted her pre-season preparation earlier this year, following a two-and-a-half-month layoff due to a post-viral illness, though she did enjoy a strong run to the final at Queen's Club in June.