Tim Henman, a former World No. 4 and a prominent figure in the tennis world, highlighted the significance of Raducanu staying injury-free to unleash her true potential. He stressed the need for the young player to accumulate a string of matches without any setbacks to solidify her position in the competitive tennis arena.
“If she [Emma Raducanu] can play 20 tournaments without any injury setbacks, I think that would be fantastic. She’s too good for the wins not to come. I do believe her level is that good. It’s much more about the process and less about the outcome,” Henman stated in an interview with Metro.
Henman acknowledged Raducanu’s relative inexperience despite her early success, emphasizing the importance of building physical resilience and gaining valuable on-tour experience. He pointed out that, post-US Open triumph, Raducanu was still in the process of enhancing her physicality during tournaments, a challenging task for a player with limited exposure to the main tour.
“She’s still massively inexperienced. If you do a number count of the matches she has played on the main tour, it is still so little. She’s got to build up physical resilience and the experience of being on tour. Then she will be able to do herself justice. Post-US Open, she was still trying to build up her physicality at tournaments, which is hard to do,” added the 49-year-old Brit.
Henman’s insights shed light on the challenges Raducanu faces in transitioning from a breakthrough moment to sustained success. As the young British talent strives to overcome her injury woes, the tennis world eagerly awaits her return to full form, with the hope that a period of sustained health will pave the way for Raducanu to fulfill her immense potential on the global stage.
Emma Raducanu in 2024
Ranked world no.296, the Brit played her last match on the 7th of February when she was overcome by world no.6 Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in the 2nd round in Abu Dhabi (draw).
This season Raducanu has achieved a 3-3 match record.