Britain’s Emma Raducanu disclosed a couple of her phobias as well as the status of the injury she picked up in Strasbourg, during an interview on the eve of the 2025 French Open.
Raducanu reported that she has a needle phobia.
“At the start of the year I was so scared of needles. It was my biggest phobia.”
‘Challenges’
Emma Raducanu echoed comments Naomi Osaka made about the challenges of providing blood samples for drug testing.”
“Sometimes it feels like Pin the Donkey because at 06:00 you’re not very hydrated and everything.
“It’s like you can’t get any blood out, and they have however many attempts. That’s a bit difficult, but I think we all have to go through it.
“It’s not the most enjoyable thing, but it’s just part of what we have to do.”
Raducanu also admitted that she also has a phobia of being in water.
“Needles is like the one thing that I’ve always been really scared of. I’m not great in the water, to be honest, with what’s underneath (laughing).”
“Not even super deep. Whatever is under the sea. If you had seen me in the sea, I need goggles when I go swimming, but it’s scary because I don’t want to see it at the same time, what’s under there. It’s hard.”
Emma Raducanu revealed that a back injury that she battled during this year’s Australian Open had returned.
‘Felt okay’
“Yeah, it’s not feeling 100%. I had a spasm in Strasbourg, and just been trying to manage it as best I can doing treatment.
“I’ve been on the practice court last night and this morning. Yeah, it felt okay, but obviously it’s different playing a match. I’m trying to do everything to get up to speed as fast as possible.
“I would say the one before Australia was worse. I feel like this one I kind of caught before it fully locked up. So, I think the treatment is a lot of it with the physios, a lot of it with heat. Been doing some needling.”
Emma Raducanu will have to tap into some of that courage she has gained over the years to cope with the needling to help with her back injury, as well as playing through the pain barrier that her back issues are likely to create for her.
Raducanu first round opponent at this year’s French Open is China’s Xinyu Wang.
Dave Marshall is covering the 2025 French Open in Paris exclusively for The South African website
What phobias – if any – do you suffer from?
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