Tim Henman has set Emma Raducanu a challenge to complete before Wimbledon this year after her defeat to Coco Gauff at the Italian Open

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Emma Raducanu has fallen out of the Italian Open in a heavy defeat to Coco Gauff, 6-1, 6-2.

Raducanu was dominated by Gauff in straight sets, with the battle of the two former US Open champions lasting just 79 minutes.

While Gauff advances to her fifth quarter-final of the season, Raducanu‘s promising Italian Open campaign comes to an end, with her season record now 11 wins and nine losses.

The Briton had shown promising signs in the Eternal City, where, after a tough test in the first round, Raducanu cruised past Jil Teichmann in the following match and dominated sets 2 and 3 against Veronika Kudermetova in the Round of 32.

With the 2021 US Open championship still her sole career title, British tennis legend Tim Henman set Raducanu a goal to reach before Wimbledon.

Tim Henman sets Emma Raducanu the challenge of reaching world number 32 before Wimbledon

Speaking on Sky Sports after the Briton’s heavy defeat, Henman said: “When you reflect on Emma Raducanu’s clay court season so far, I think it’s incredibly positive.”

“The clay courts at Roland Garros are the truest and best clay courts. They are the ones where you can take the ball early.”

The former world number four added: “I think that will suit Emma more. Her game is moving in the right direction.”

“I think she is around 42 in the live rankings. The number in the back of my mind is 32 pre-Wimbledon. Can she get to be seeded and have protection in the early rounds on grass?”

Emma Raducanu’s 2025 WTA season so far

Raducanu, currently sitting 49th in the WTA rankings, has had a difficult season that has improved as the year went on.

She started off the season with an Australian Open campaign that ended in the third round, where she suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of Iga Swiatek.

The 22-year-old then went on to have three consecutive opening-round defeats, losing in her first match at the Singapore Tennis Open, the Abu Dhabi Open, and the Qatar Open.

She finally gained a victory against Maria Sakkari to break the losing streak at the Dubai Tennis Championships, but ultimately fell in the second round to Karolina Muchova.

Following another first-round exit at Indian Wells, Raducanu had an impressive second half of the ‘sunshine double’, reaching the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.

With four wins to her name since the beginning of the clay swing, Raducanu now looks towards Roland Garros, in her ongoing pursuit of a second career title.