Emma Raducanu struggled to maintain the same level of play after her stunning 2021 US Open triumph because of injuries during her first full year on the WTA circuit.

Raducanu, a former US Open champion, is no longer regarded as the top tennis player in Britain as she was passed up for a coveted LTA award. Despite a number of injuries last year, Raducanu managed to climb as high as No. 10 in the world rankings.

The world No. 113 Harriet Dart earned the LTA Women’s Player of the Year title, passing over the 20-year-old. The award was chosen by LTA members and coaches, and it was based on 2022 performances.

Dart lost in the opening rounds of the Australian and French Opens but advanced at Wimbledon and the US Open. Radicanu, in contrast, advanced to the second round in three of the four Grand Slam competitions.

At the Indian Wells Masters last year, Raducanu only managed to win one match, but her British opponent advanced through qualifying to reach the fourth round for the first time in her career. When she helped Britain reach its first semi-final since 1981 during the Billie Jean King Cup finals, Dart’s contributions were noted.

Raducanu is expected to regain her form before the French Open at the end of May. The 20-year-old British tennis player is preparing for her second clay swing of her career, and Laura Robson, a fellow countrywoman, thinks the youngster “looks extremely good” ahead of her first clay event in Stuttgart.

Injuries and illness have limited Raducanu’s playing time thus far this season; she first rolled her ankle at the ASB Classic in January. After contracting tonsillitis, the British No. 1 was later forced to withdraw from her comeback tournament in Texas, but she later recovered to achieve a career-best performance at Indian Wells.