Emma Raducanu told where she still needs to improve by former British tennis star after her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka

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Emma Raducanu gave it her all in the third round but couldn’t quite get over the line against the world number one.

When Raducanu beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round, she was rewarded with a third-round tie against another Grand Slam winner.

Standing between Raducanu and a place in the last 16 was Aryna Sabalenka, a three-time major champion and the world number one.

Pushing the Belarusian close, Raducanu lost out to Sabalenka 6-7 [6-8], 4-6, in a thrilling clash on Centre Court.

Reacting to Raducanu’s defeat, a former British tennis star highlighted the area of the 22-year-old’s game that still needs some work.

Naomi Broady says Emma Raducanu needs to improve ‘physically’ after Wimbledon exit

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Naomi Broady shared what she thinks Raducanu needs to improve on.

“I hope what she takes away is what so many of us see in the level of tennis that she has and can produce. We know the talent she has,” she said.

“I think still, just physically, the work needs to be put in. How much of that is in her control with the injuries, I don’t know.”

Broady proceeded to outline the positives Raducanu should take from the defeat, having tested the world number one on Friday evening.

“[Aryna] Sabalenka is not a world number one, not in form. She has made both Grand Slam finals and is most people’s favourite for the title,” she said.

“But Emma [Raducanu] is within a millimetre of winning that match. So much of it was decided in the first set, and the second set, she was right in it as well.

“I think it was so positive and I hope she comes away from it, gutted that she has lost, but inspired that she is close to the very top of the women’s game and knowing she is so close to getting there motivated to put that extra work in and be up there for the next Grand Slam, which happens to be the one she has already won.”

Raducanu will now head over to the United States, in preparation for the US Open, a tournament she won four years ago.

Is the US Open Emma Raducanu’s best chance of winning another Grand Slam?

In 2021, Raducanu shocked the world as she won the US Open title without dropping a set, having entered the tournament via qualifying.

Four years on, Raducanu has yet to return to a major quarterfinal, but at which Grand Slam event has she played her best tennis?

Her record at the US Open is the best of the four Grand Slam tournaments, although she has failed to impress at Flushing Meadows since winning the title in 2021.

Returning in 2022 and 2024, Raducanu lost her first-round matches on both occasions.

• 2022 US Open 1R – Emma Raducanu lost to Alize Cornet, 3-6, 3-6
• 2024 US Open 1R – Emma Raducanu lost to Sofia Kenin, 1-6, 6-3, 4-6

With that being the case, it’s tough to say whether Raducanu is better placed to make a run at the US Open or at Wimbledon.

Her results at the All England Club have been far more consistent, winning at least one match every year since she made her debut in 2021.

Losing out to Sabalenka in the manner she did proved that Raducanu can compete with the very best on grass, something we haven’t seen from her on hard courts since her Cinderella run in New York four years ago.

It also shouldn’t be ignored how Raducanu performed at the Australian Open and at Roland Garros earlier this year, suffering defeats to five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek at both tournaments.

Yet to lose to a player ranked outside the top five at a major in 2025, there’s no saying what the Brit could have achieved if she had been given more favourable draws.

One thing is for certain: you won’t want to miss any of her matches when Raducanu returns to Grand Slam action at the US Open, which begins on Sunday, August 24.