Tennis legend Martina Navratilova and British icon Tim Henman are backing Emma Raducanu to make a return to the game’s top 20 in the sport. However, 18-time Grand Slam champion Navratilova has also imparted with some advice to the young star, suggesting she should now “commit” to a coach.
Raducanu appears to be hitting her stride once more following her impressive run to the Miami Open quarter-finals. The 22-year-old impressed on the court, taking down two top-20 players before finally being beaten by US Open finalist Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2.
Her resurgence has now encouraged many to believe that Raducanu is slowly returning to the form that helped her win the US Open in 2021 at just 18-years-old.
Despite defeat this week, Raducanu showcased her tenacity by snatching the second set, even after requiring on-court medical attention and a check-up of her vitals. Her performance earned her plaudits from Navratilova during a chat with Sky Sports Tennis.
“It was amazing,” Navratilova said. “If she stays healthy and plays this well, then she’ll be seeded at Roland Garros. I think she’ll move up the ranking well enough into the top 30. The biggest question mark is her health.”
Henman added: “When you see that level from Raducanu, not only of the tennis, but also of the movement, the resilience, the fighting spirit, if she keeps doing that then she’s getting back in the top 20, top 30 I think and that’s what we want to see
“Pegula is number four in the world, she’s been in the US Open final, hard-court is her best tennis and Raducanu went head-to-head, toe-to-toe with her.”
However, having parted ways with coach Vladimir Platenik just before the event, it meant she advanced to the quarter-finals unaccompanied by an official coach in her corner.
TV pundit Mark Petchey and mentor Jane O’Donaghue stepped in to offer guidance, with the Tennis Channel reportedly not objecting to Petchey taking on the temporary role, after he had previously coached Raducanu early in her career. He is now expected to lead Raducanu into the French Open and Wimbledon this summer.
Navratilova however, suggested that stability is key. “Hopefully she can sort out her coaching situation because she’s been in a state of flux,” she said.
“But I think she needs to commit to somebody and stay with them for a little bit, see how that works. If she played like she did against Pegula, then the sky’s the limit.”
Raducanu now finds herself back in the top 50, but is eager to take a breath before taking her next step. “I’m not sure [what’s next],” she said after her loss in Miami.
“I think I need to take a beat and reevaluate what I’m doing. This week was good but I just need to figure things out and make a plan from there.”
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
