After doubting whether the British woman could handle the pressure after making a breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2021, John McEnroe has now surprisingly backed Emma Raducanu. The American, who has consistently been a harsh critic of the British No. 1, appeared to have changed his tune when he expressed support for her future success. McEnroe has previously drawn criticism for his remarks about Raducanu because he was one of the first to question whether she could “handle it” during her breakout Wimbledon run. At the time, Raducanu was ranked 338th in the world and received a wild card to play in her first Grand Slam tournament. She stormed all the way to the fourth round before having to leave the match due to breathing problems.
“I think the last year has been overwhelming, obviously,” McEnroe said during an interview with Tennis365. “She has gone through a lot of changes in her life, and now she has had issues with injuries.”
“But it felt like, for the first time, the pressure was not on her and was on Coco Gauff when they played at the Australian Open and that is not a bad thing.”
“Everyone in the tennis world is hopeful that she can embrace what’s happening with her and hope that she gets back to the level she showed at the US Open. I saw her at Wimbledon that summer, and when she didn’t come out to play in the round of 16, we were all worried she might struggle to cope with the change to her life.
“Then she went to New York, and wow, what a performance to win a slam.”
“Let’s put this on the record.” You don’t win a Grand Slam by luck. She is a great player and can come back and challenge again,” he concluded.
Emma Raducanu in 2023
LWWLLWWLWW Now the world no.80, Raducanu played her last match on the 18th of January when she was defeated by world no.6 Cori Gauff 6-3 7-6(4) in the 2nd round of the Australian Open (draw).
At the moment, during this season Emma has a 2-2 win-loss record.
John McEnroe |
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