Like any athlete returning from long-term injury, Emma Raducanu has needed patience and perspective.
The 22-year-old Briton has been rebuilding her career this year after missing most of 2023 following surgery on both wrists and her left ankle.
In April, Raducanu was ranked 303rd in the world.
Now the 2021 US Open champion is back inside the top 60 and feeling positive, after a turbulent season ended on a high.
BBC Sport looks at Raducanu’s progress and how the British number two can improve in 2025.
When Raducanu was preparing for her return a year ago, she spoke about making a “fresh start”.
Climbing almost 250 spots is impressive by anyone’s standards.
In fact, her rise this year has only been bettered by three WTA players – Japan’s four-time major champion Naomi Osaka (unranked to 59th), Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic (549th to 85th) and American Amanda Anisimova (359th to 36th).
Jumping so high having played just 14 ranking tournaments is a source of pride for Raducanu.
Only Czech player Karolina Muchova, who reached the US Open semi-finals, is ranked inside the top 60 having competed in fewer.
“Sometimes I need reminding: I’m top 60 and I’ve played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of,” Raducanu told BBC Sport.
“I have to pat myself on the back for that.”
Progress was steady rather than spectacular at the start of her comeback. Positive signs were followed by setbacks, demonstrating why expectations needed to be tempered.
The highlight of Raducanu’s year was the British grass season.
Runs to the Nottingham quarter-finals and Eastbourne semi-finals teed up a heartening Wimbledon, which ended in the last 16 but further fuelled her “fire”.
Raducanu skipped the Olympics and endured a difficult US Open swing, before reaching a fourth quarter-final of the season at September’s Korea Open.
A foot injury halted her momentum, but she finished on a high by winning all three of her matches to help Britain reach the BJK Cup semi-finals.
“I know I’m a dangerous player,” said Raducanu, who has earned £11m in her comeback year and is seventh on a list of highest-earning female athletes in the world according to sports business experts Sportico., external
“I know no-one wants to pull my name in the draw.
“I take pride in that and I’m looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year.”
It has been far from smooth sailing, though.
Crumbling to a straight-set defeat in Madrid against Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle, a week after pushing world number one Iga Swiatek on the Stuttgart clay, was a reality check.
Afterwards Raducanu complained about feeling “exhausted”. It led to some criticism,, external including from her BJK Cup captain Anne Keothavong, but served as a reminder of the physical work still to do.
Managing her workload has been key, but it had a detrimental effect at times.
Raducanu played only once between the All England Club in early July – where she also pulled out of playing mixed doubles with Andy Murray in his Wimbledon farewell – and the US Open in late August, leading to a rusty first-round exit in New York.
Afterwards came a tearful admission that it was a “lesson learned”.
Even so, Raducanu looked on course during the Asian hard-court swing to set a new personal high of Tour-level matches played in one year.
Missing the rest of the WTA season with sprained foot ligaments threatened that, but her BJK Cup appearances meant she equalled her previous best of 36 Tour-level matches.