Last season, Emma Raducanu was what Carlos Alcaraz is now: the undisputed shooting star of the tennis scene.
The Spaniard won the Masters in Miami in April at the age of 18, the British achieved even more extraordinary things in 2021: Raducanu triumphed at the US Open at the same age – as the first qualifier since the Open Era began in 1968 and without losing a set.
While Alcaraz very quickly followed the next coup, which Masters won for Madrid, beating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev one after the other, Raducanu went downhill. Understandable for an 18-year-old who, before her biggest success, was number 150 in the world and was primarily known to insiders.
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Still, it’s somewhat astonishing that Raducanu has won just nine out of 21 matches since the US Open, her only top-level title to date. One reason is the high susceptibility to injury for such a young player, which slowed her down considerably as a junior. In the professional field, this has hardly improved.
At the Australian Open, blisters on the batting hand got in the way. In February, the teenager gave up her first-round match at the Guadalajara Open due to a hip injury, and skipped the follow-up tournament in Monterrey. Most recently, Raducanu was slowed down by a back injury in Madrid, so in Rome she had to abandon her first game against Bianca Andreescu when the score was 2-6, 1-2.
Raducanu: “Results not so important”
However, the physical problems cannot satisfactorily explain why it is no longer running. The abrupt end of the collaboration with coach Torben Beltz, for example, is a point that raised questions. Why the separation after just five months from a recognized top coach who once led Angelique Kerber to two Grand Slam titles? She appreciated “the good chemistry”, but wanted to switch to a different training model, as the twelfth world number 12 announced somewhat nebulously. She is currently working with interim coach Iain Bates.
Raducanu, meanwhile, stressed not to be discouraged by the poor results of the past few months. “The results are not that important to me. I believe that my tennis has developed further,” the 19-year-old told “Sport Bild”. The US Open winner explained the fact that this has not yet been reflected in the results with a corona infection at the beginning of the year. After that she “had to get in shape quickly. There were physical problems.”
Huber sure: “Raducanu needs another year or two”
There is also another factor that comes into play, which mainly has to do with the competition. “The opponents are more motivated against me, they really want to beat me,” reported the Brit – and she’s definitely right.
On the other hand, she won the Flushing Meadows Grand Slam event because of her superior skill. “Her return is one of the best on the tour and is reminiscent of Victoria Azarenka’s. Emma moves extremely effectively and has few gaps in her game,” analyzed her former coach Mark Petchey.
Despite a strong comeback: Raducanu clearly beats Korpatsch
Qualities that Raducanu hasn’t lost, of course, but that she has to bring back. “Emma needs another year or two to become consistent and really show what she can do,” said former world number four Anke Huber in an exclusive interview with Eurosport.de. “She can play up front in the future, has everything to be a top five player and maybe even make it to number one.”
Wimbledon becomes a yardstick for Raducanu
There is still a long way to go until then, which she will have to walk with increased difficulty in the coming weeks. The reason: The clay court season is on with the highlight of the French Open(from May 22 live on free TV on Eurosport 1 and on Eurosport on Joyn). As strange as it sounds: Until three weeks ago, Raducanu had never played a professional tournament on the red surface. “It’s still a love-hate relationship,” admitted the Toronto, Canada-born athlete.
So you’re not doing Raducanu any favors by expecting her to do great things in Roland-Garros. The real indicator will only come in June, like an ex-professional Barbara Schett at Eurosport stressed. “The big challenge will definitely be Wimbledon. I think if she could reach the semifinals there it would be incredible.” And possibly the long-awaited turnaround on the way back to the Emma Raducanu who thrilled the entire sports world last year.
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