By Martyn Herman
LONDON, – Emma Raducanu reclaimed the British number one spot this month but still looks some way from rediscovering the spark that propelled her career into the stratosphere in 2021.
Yet, despite her lowered expectations, the 22-year-old remains one of Britain’s most recognisable female athletes and will arrive at Wimbledon regarded as the country’s main hope for a long-awaited women’s singles champion.
Few players in the history of tennis have experienced such a rapid and unexpected breakthrough as Raducanu managed in 2021, when she claimed the U.S. Open title and became the first qualifier to win a major in the Open Era .
It set the bar ridiculously high for the Toronto-born player and she would be the first to admit that her trajectory since then has been anything but smooth.
Having rocketed into the world’s top 10 on the back of her Flushing Meadows fairytale, Raducanu has since struggled with a succession of wrist and foot injuries, poor form and a revolving door of coaches as she tries to find the magic formula.
That astonishing U.S. Open remains Raducanu’s only title, but there are signs that she is trending in the right direction.
A quarter-final run at Miami, reaching the last-16 in Rome and then the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club have helped Raducanu back to a ranking of 38, although she has come up well short against the big hitters of women’s tennis.
Mark Petchey, the former British player who guided twice Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in the early stages of his illustrious career, is the latest coach to try and unlock the full potential of Raducanu’s game, joining her team in April.
Petchey neatly summed up the challenge Raducanu has faced in the years since she won the U.S. Open.
“I feel as though everybody’s still living in 2021. The game has changed massively,” he said after accepting the challenge.
“The balls are four times heavier than they were back in 2021 and Emma isn’t one of the biggest hitters out there.
“My mantra to her since Miami has been: ‘You know, you’re starting your career now’. Unfortunately for Emma, she’s living her career in reverse.”
Some have suggested Raducanu’s off-court commitments and the lucrative sponsorship deals that flooded in after her breakthrough have softened her focus on the daily grind, a charge Petchey is quick to dismiss.
She has also been the victim of a stalker and continues to struggle with a nagging back injury that forced her to pull out of the Berlin Open in the Wimbledon build-up.
Raducanu can also expect questions during Wimbledon about her friendship with men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz after their announcement that they would play together in a new U.S. Open mixed doubles event fuelled romance rumours.
Yet, despite all the distractions, Raducanu has the game to worry the world’s best and is clearly up for the fight as she bids to better her two runs to the fourth round.
Home fans will hope that when Raducanu walks through the Wimbledon gates the shackles will be released and the carefree tennis she showed as a teenager will return.
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