Urszula Radwańska, the younger sister of former tennis star Agnieszka Radwańska, has recently opened up about her career struggles, health challenges, and aspirations for the future. Speaking candidly to TVP Sport, she reflected on her long-standing battle to be recognized as more than just Agnieszka’s sibling.
Even with remarkable achievements, such as winning the junior Grand Slams and reaching her highest WTA ranking of 29th on October 8, 2012, Urszula often found herself overshadowed by her sister’s success. “When I achieved any success or won a match, they wrote about me as Agnieszka Radwańska’s sister. It was always painful for me because I worked for years on my name, my position,” she confided, demonstrating the emotional weight of constant comparison to Agnieszka.
Urszula celebrated her accomplishments, including four ITF singles titles and ten doubles championships, including one WTA title with Agnieszka. But she also hinted at the pressure of always being compared to her sibling, saying, “What drove me was wanting to see media write about me as me and not just as Agnieszka’s sister.” Despite the constant comparisons, Urszula expressed pride in Agnieszka’s achievements, even drawing motivation from her sister’s success.
Recently, Urszula faced significant health problems, including prolonged fatigue and illness. “I was very weak for a long time. I would go to the match, play a few games, and have no strength,” she revealed, describing the experience as challenging both physically and mentally. This period was marked by frustration as medical professionals struggled to identify the cause of her debilitating symptoms; all her blood tests appeared fine, leading to doubts about her claims. “At one point, doctors stopped believing my complaints,” she noted.
After battling through adversity, Urszula found out she was suffering from mononucleosis, which left her uncertain of her future on the court. “The disease appeared suddenly and was hard to diagnose. It’s a very difficult virus, and there’s no cure for it,” she explained, recounting the almost year-long struggle to recover.
Now, with her ranking standing at 471, Urszula is focusing on smaller tournaments to earn points necessary to compete at higher levels again. “I’m playing smaller tournaments and it’s a big lesson in humility. When you are searching for points, fate pushes you to different places,” she remarked, expressing her determination to reclaim her place within the elite ranks of tennis.
Through her experiences, Urszula has also begun to contemplate life outside of professional tennis. During her health struggles, she initiated her own fashion brand, UR by Urszula Radwańska, with the aim of promoting Polish craftsmanship. “It generates significantly more costs than production abroad, but I always wanted my bags to be made in Poland,” she emphasized.
Despite the setbacks, Urszula remains fierce and hopeful about her tennis career. “I want to achieve something else in tennis because of my stubborn and tenacious character. If I weren’t this way, I would have put my racket down long ago,” she declared.
Her ultimate aim is to return to Grand Slam events, believing it would be the pinnacle of her hard work and resilience. “I want to go back to Grand Slam competitions and I am ready for anything. I fight for my dreams,” Urszula concluded, leaving readers hopeful about her potential comeback.