Tim Henman backs Emma Raducanu for 'big results in the future' ahead of US Open - 'We have to show patience'
Published 14/08/2024 at 20:38 GMT+1
Emma Raducanu's hard-court summer started in positive fashion with a run to the Citi Open quarter-finals, but the former US Open champion has not played since. Tim Henman thinks Raducanu is trending in the "right direction" and will soon be "back in the biggest and best events". Raducanu is not playing at this week's Cincinnati Open after also missing the Canadian Open.
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Tim Henman believes Emma Raducanu is “absolutely moving in the right direction” and expects her to have some “big results in the future”.
After a couple of challenging years following her 2021 US Open win, Raducanu has shown some positive signs this season.
On grass she made the semi-finals of the Rothesay Open and then reached the last 16 at Wimbledon without dropping a set.
Her hard-court summer has perhaps not gone as hoped after making the quarter-finals of the Citi Open as she didn’t compete in qualifying at the Canadian Open and has not got a wild card for this week’s Cincinnati Open.
But former British No. 1 Henman thinks Raducanu remains on the right track ahead of the US Open later this month.
“We just have to show some patience with Raducanu now,” Henman told Tennis365.
“Her challenges have been well documented since she won the US Open, but the level of play she has shown this year confirms she is absolutely moving in the right direction.
“I have no doubts that she will have some big results in the future.
“When you look at her ranking and her position in the WTA Race and realise the limited number of tournaments she has played, it emphasises her quality.
“She hasn’t played a full 12 months since coming back from injury so let’s give her some time.
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“If she can play for a full 12 months, she will be back in the biggest and best events and she will be seeded once again in the Grand Slams before long and she won’t have to worry about her schedule.
“She had a real chance at Wimbledon as the draw opened up, but the strength in depth in the women’s game is great now.”
Raducanu has moved back into the top 100 in the rankings this year and is now British No. 2 behind Katie Boulter.
Henman thinks Raducanu is part of a strong core of British players, even with Andy Murray heading off into retirement.
“The way Raducanu came through qualifying to win the US Open was just fantastic and you can see the inspiration she provided for young players, especially in Britain,” added Henman.
“We’ve just seen Andy Murray retire and having players like Andy and Emma inspiring our junior players is vital to bringing through the next champions.
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“When you reflect on the last 25-30 years of the LTA, they have rightly had some criticism that they haven’t produced enough players on the performance side.
“Now, when you look at the strength in depth of British players, it has improved massively on both the men’s and women’s side. So that’s where they deserve a lot of credit.
“Leadership comes from the top and I think Scott Lloyd (LTA CEO) has really got a good structure in place and there is a really positive vibe about British tennis.”
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