Emma Raducanu says developing her game, rather than picking up results, is her priority ahead of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
Raducanu returned to the court in January following an eight-month absence, after cutting her 2023 season short to undergo wrist and ankle surgeries.
The former US Open champion went out to Wang Yafan in the second round of the Australian Open and has won just three of her seven matches so far this year.
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However, ahead of facing qualifier Rebeka Masarova in the first round at Indian Wells on Thursday, Raducanu said she is looking beyond short-term results to ensure long-term success.
“I want to work on becoming a better tennis player,” Raducanu told BBC Sport. “I think for me, I’m not too concerned about this year’s tournaments.
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“A lot of people out there would say that I need matches, but I think that for me, I want to work on my game and my development.
“Taking time to do that is necessary and it’s about not just following the crowd, or playing a lot of matches, or dropping down [to Challenger level] to do that. I want to work on developing skills.”
Raducanu reached the fourth round at Indian Wells last year, with that run representing one of few bright spots in a disappointing campaign, coming shortly after she discovered she would need surgery on both wrists.
Asked about her long road back to fitness, Raducanu added: “It’s just a bit of a journey for me, I would say, you don’t really know what to expect after being out for eight months.
“I felt like because I was so go-go-go since December, I felt like I became a little fatigued, so it was good to go back, freshen up and practice for the American swing, which I’m a big fan of.”
