Emma Raducanu: Tim Henman thinks 2021 US Open champion is transferring in proper route regardless of New York exit

Tim Henman nonetheless believes Emma Raducanu’s sport is transferring in the suitable route regardless of her defeat to Sofia Kenin within the first spherical of the US Open.

Raducanu surprised the world three years in the past when she received the title in New York in simply her third senior event, however it has not been a cheerful searching floor since.

The 21-year-old fought fought again the tears earlier than admitting she was feeling unhappy as her look forward to a primary win on the US Open since her memorable 2021 triumph goes on.

After a first-round exit in 2022 and lacking final yr by way of harm, 2020 Australian Open winner Kenin handed out extra distress with a 6-1 3-6 6-4 win on the Grandstand court docket.

“After what she did three years ago, she’s always going to have incredible memories here for the rest of her life. But as a competitor and a player right now, she wants to compete and play well,” Henman advised Sky Sports activities Tennis.

“I do not assume she performed terribly however she was up in opposition to a world-class opponent who has beforehand gone the entire approach in a Grand Slam.

“That is nonetheless all a part of a studying journey. She has mirrored now and mentioned, ‘I in all probability got here in a bit of underdone’, having missed that chunk of Canada and Cincinnati.

“She perhaps will do things differently next time as, in hindsight, she probably should have gone through qualifying to get those match reps under her belt.

“I nonetheless assume her sport is transferring in the suitable route. It is definitely not the final we’ll see of Raducanu. Fingers-crossed she’s going to have many extra alternatives right here on the US Open sooner or later.

“It’s all a rebuilding process as she comes back from the surgeries [in 2023]. When she has played, she has played very well.”

Bartoli: Raducanu by no means seemed comfy

Marion Bartoli, a former Wimbledon champion, was involved by Raducanu’s lack of presence on court docket in the course of the first set, saying it in the end price her in opposition to a participant who loved taking part in on onerous courts.

“I felt that the first set for Emma went by in a flash, she was almost not present on the court,” mentioned the Frenchwoman.

“And then when you’re already one set down against someone who has been able to win a Grand Slam in the past, on a hard court and who loves these kinds of conditions, it’s such a difficult task.

“Kenin was continuously speeding Emma, continuously on the entrance foot, dictating many of the play from the again of the court docket, particularly to disturb Emma, who by no means seemed comfy on the market.”

Navratilova: She’s undercooked

Talking earlier than Raducanu’s first-round match in New York, tennis legend Martina Navratilova gave her ideas on the place the Briton is at in her profession.

“Because she didn’t play the Olympics, I would like to have seen her play more matches,” mentioned the 18-time Grand Slam girls’s singles champion.

“If I was her coach I would say, ‘please do play qualifying, if you qualify fine, but you also get a couple of matches under your belt and if you do qualify, even better’.

“I do really feel she’s a bit undercooked. In her profession she simply hasn’t performed that many matches, so I might encourage her to play extra matches.”

The place will Raducanu play subsequent and may you watch her on Sky Sports activities Tennis?

Raducanu is scheduled to play in Seoul in the midst of September and is then prone to play different occasions within the Far East – in Hong Kong and China, the place her mom was born.

All her matches within the Far East can be present reside on Sky Sports activities Tennis.

• Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (9-15 September)
• Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (9-15 September)
• Korea Open – WTA 500 (16 -22 September)
• Thailand Open – WTA 250 (16 -22 September)
• Chengdu Open, China – ATP 250 (18-24 September)
• Hangzhou Open, China – ATP 250 (18-24 September)
• China Open – WTA 1000 (Sept 25 – Oct 6)
• Japan Open – ATP 500 (Sept 25 – Oct 1)
• China Open – ATP 500 (Sept 26 – Oct 2)

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