Emma Raducanu is building up her hard court schedule after skipping two qualifying tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.
A faultless three weeks through qualifying saw Emma Raducanu leap into the record books and become a national British hero after her US Open triumph in 2021.
Propelled into the top 10 of the WTA rankings after picking up the title in Flushing Meadows, Raducanu has never been able to rediscover the form from three years ago.
Still just 21 and having faced numerous injury setbacks, Raducanu has boosted her ranking from way outside the top 100 to back inside the top 75 after good campaigns at Wimbledon and the Washington Open.
With a return to Flushing Meadows imminent, former British number one turned pundit Tim Henman has been assessing Raducanu’s season ahead of the final grand slam of the year.
Tim Henman says that Emma Raducanu should focus on performance over results at the US Open
Henman wasn’t particularly forthcoming about making a concrete Raducanu prediction for the 2024 US Open.
The Brit even suggested she could go out as early as the first round if she gets unlucky with the draw, however made clear that she will and should be prioritizing performance over results at this stage.
“She might play Iga Swiatek first round!” Henman told the Metro. “She just needs to focus on the process. To become obsessed with results, winning and losing… it’s more important to be consumed by the process.
“The outcome will take care of itself. If Emma Raducanu is a better player after the US Open than she is now, then that will be a successful few weeks.”
A promising season so far has seen Raducanu secure the first top 10 wins of her career after defeating Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne and Maria Sakkari at Wimbledon.
Henman added later how he rated Raducanu’s season so far saying: “If we take into account all of her results, I’d give her an 8.5/10. She’s played a lot of very good tennis. I like the way she is playing.
“She made a few little alterations to her service motion, which I really like,” he explained. “She’s really attacking, taking the ball early on return of serves, I think she looks fitter and stronger and her movement is good. So I would give her an 8.5 for now- still some room for improvement.”
Emma Raducanu seems to attract criticism wherever she goes
With three surgeries last year, including two on her wrist, Raducanu’s long stint on the sidelines and subsequent lack of form since her major-winning season has allowed criticism to grow.
Raducanu recently attracted further disapproval after electing to skip qualifying for two WTA 1000 events in North America.
Despite having put together a solid Wimbledon campaign, it was overshadowed after Raducanu pulled out of plans to partner Andy Murray in the mixed doubles for his final matches at Wimbledon – a grievance that may well turn into a grudge for some British fans.
At still just 21, Raducanu has a long time to turn things back around and return to her best, however must remain mindful to stay positive when fans become overly frosty.
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