Emma Raducanu reveals how she is battling a fear of needles as she turns to acupuncture amid ongoing injury woes ahead of the French Open

• Emma Raducanu forced to face her phobia of needles ahead of the French Open
• The 22-year-old has been undergoing acupuncture to address her back injury 

By MATTHEW LAMBWELL

Emma Raducanu’s efforts to regain full fitness for the French Open have led her to use acupuncture – despite the fact she has a phobia of needles.

The 22-year-old took a medical timeout in her defeat by Danielle Collins in Strasbourg last week and afterwards said he had suffered a back spasm – the same issue which disrupted her preparations for January’s Australian Open.

‘It’s not feeling 100 per cent,’ admitted Raducanu, who plays Chinese world No42 Wang Xinyu in the first round tomorrow/on Monday. ‘I’ve been on the practice court last night and this morning, it felt OK but obviously it’s different playing a match. I’m trying to do everything to get up to speed as fast as possible.’

Expanding on the treatment needed to manage the issue, she said: ‘A lot of it with the physios, a lot of it with heat. I’ve been doing some dry needling (a form of acupuncture).

‘At the start of the year I was so scared of needles. It was my biggest phobia. But that was the only way I was going to be able to play the Australian Open so 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.’

Asked in general about the subject of playing through pain, Raducanu referred back to the issues she developed in both wrists in 2023, culminating in surgery, saying members of her team at the time effectively told her to get on with it.

Emma Raducanu revealed she has been undergoing acupuncture ahead of the French Open

The 22-year-old has suffered with ongoing injury issues, and was forced to battle through injury at the Australian Open in January

Raducanu revealed she was forced to face her phobia of needles in order to go throw with the procedure

‘I kept pushing through because people were telling me I wasn’t tough enough, it’s normal I’m feeling fatigued because I’m training so much,’ said Raducanu. ‘When in reality I knew there was pain and I knew it was more than just soreness.

‘I wish I listened to myself sooner. I would have saved myself 12 months of struggling but I can learn from that. Now I am more astute when it comes to what pain is manageable and what pain should be taken more seriously.’

On the subject of phobias, the only other thing which gives Raducanu the heebie-jeebies is a dip in the sea. ‘I’m not great in the water, to be honest, with what’s underneath,’ she said. ‘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.’

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Emma Raducanu reveals how she is battling a fear of needles as she turns to acupuncture amid ongoing injury woes ahead of the French Open

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