Emma Raducanu has now been told that one area of her game might just be the best in the entire women’s game.
That was mid-way through her impressive win over Rebecca Sramkova on Thursday, with the Brit brushing aside the Slovakian to move into the Queen’s quarter-finals.
It marked the furthest that any hometown hero had managed at this event this year, a first for the women since 1973.
And she will be hoping to use the experience and time on the court gained here to take that momentum into Wimbledon later this month.
If she can get the rest of her game to the same level as the trait that Annabel Croft was praising, though, she should be in line for a deep run at the upcoming Grand Slam.
Annabel Croft says Emma Raducanu is one of the best volleyers in the women’s game
Commentating over the match, it took just one game for Croft to start lauding Emma Raducanu.
After all, the Brit had stormed into an early lead, breaking Sramkova with some bruising returning that has become a staple of her game.
And yet, it was actually a different shot that the pundit sought to praise, instead gushing over the winning volley Raducanu struck on break point to soar into a 1-0 lead.
Croft stated: ‘I don’t think she could have come out of the blocks any quicker or any better than she just did, middling the ball, on top of it, controlling every point there in that first opening game and a finish as well.
‘I think she’s one of the best volleyers in the women’s game. I mean, so few of them want to venture up there, but Raducanu has really solid techniques at the net, and that was quite intimidating at the start for Sramkova, I would say.
‘She does have a… her backhand is stunning, she moves so beautifully, the forehand can be very dangerous, particularly cross-court. She loves to take the cross-court down the line as well. There’s a lot of impressive aspects that she brings to the tennis court.’
The hope is that she can translate all of these facets into success in the next Grand Slam, although there are worries that Raducanu’s fitness might let her down should she continue to overwhelm her schedule.
Emma Raducanu is much improved under Mark Petchey
It’s fair to say that over the last few years, Raducanu’s coaching situation has been somewhat volatile.
Chopping and changing in an effort to find the right balance, it has often looked, from the outside, like the 22-year-old has been suffering through constant unpredictability and a lack of stability needed to thrive at the apex of the sport.
However, having brought in Mark Petchey back in March, and now also reunited with old coach Nick Cavaday, it finally feels like she has struck the right balance.
Her first tournament with the former saw her reach the quarter-finals, and was just a set away from knocking out Jessica Pegula to reach the semis.
A strong start, that has since been backed up with plenty of solid showings to propel her up to a new world ranking of 37th.
Her serve is more well-rounded, and her forehand is slowly becoming more of a weapon alongside her already impressive backhand. The volleys, as Croft alludes to, are crisper than ever, and her return remains as phenomenal as it always has been.
The signs are so promising for Raducanu heading into Wimbledon.
