Agassi to Raducanu: Be Comfortable in Your Own Identity — SkimNews
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- Emma Raducanu is drawing inspiration from Andre Agassi's 2009 autobiography as she plots a return to the top of tennis, telling sponsor Uniqlo she was 'intrigued by the passage where he got out of his slump in the late 1990s by creating his own training regimen.'
- Andre Agassi told BBC Breakfast his hope in writing the book was that it would give others 'tools to understand that they're not alone,' and said hearing it still resonates '17 years later' felt good.
- Raducanu, now 23, has slipped from a career-high ranking of 10 in July 2022 to 98th in the world and missed this year's US Open while recovering from a stress fracture in her lower right leg.
- Raducanu reached her biggest final since her 2021 US Open triumph at Queen's Club in June, despite spending two-and-a-half months off court earlier this year with a post-viral illness.
- Agassi advised Raducanu to 'be comfortable in your own identity' and learn to be '100% of whatever percent you're at,' adding that modern players find it harder to ignore media scrutiny than he did in his era.
- Agassi will captain Team USA at the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from 25-27 September.
Why it matters: Raducanu is attempting a comeback five years after her US Open fairy tale, with her ranking nearly 90 places below its 2022 peak and her 2025 season derailed by a stress fracture and post-viral illness. Agassi's playbook — dropping to 141st before rebuilding on his own terms — offers both a template and a public endorsement that could shape how the 23-year-old manages expectations heading into 2026.
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