Emma Raducanu has drawn criticism for not spending enough time on the court before the US Open, but in an exclusive interview, former British No. 1 Tim Henman responded vigorously to her vocal critics.
Raducanu has participated in just one warm-up tournament; her run to the Citi Open quarterfinals in Washington at the start of August represents her only matches since Wimbledon. She is returning to the site of her historic 2021 US Open victory.
She was scheduled to compete in the WTA 1000 event’s qualifying round in Toronto, but she decided not to go for a spot in the main draw instead travelling back to England to train at the National Tennis Centre of the LTA.
Raducanu has found an outspoken supporter in Henman, but she will now take her chances in the US Open, where she appears to be inadequate for the year’s last major.
The British player, who advanced to the US Open semifinals in 2004, has been a steadfast supporter of Raducanu during her brief career. In response to criticism regarding her choice to skip qualifying matches for major events, he has sprung to her defence.
Henman talked about it in a recent discussion and said: “There is almost a borderline obsession about different elements of her game and where she is going wrong. She hasn’t played in Canada and Cincinnati over the last few weeks, big deal! It’s two tournaments out of 52 weeks, she has played plenty of tournaments this year and she is top 50 in the WTA Race for this year.”
He added: “She is continuing to build and get fitter, stronger and faster. Her game is fantastic. She will be top 20 or top 30 before long, so we need to stop this level of scrutiny. We need to be patient, keep supporting her and good things will happen. She is a great player. She is going to be one of the leaders of British sport for years to come and not just British tennis.”
“There is almost a borderline obsession,” Tim Henman slams haters criticizing Emma Raducanu’s tennis schedule https://t.co/9fYxBPLJwS
— FirstSportz Tennis (@FS_Tennis1) August 20, 2024
Emma Raducanu in 2024
LWWLLWWLWW Ranked world no.71, Emma played her last match on the 2nd of August when she was overcome by world no.27 Paula Badosa 4-6 7-5 6-4 in the quarter in Washington (draw).
Currently, during this season the Brit has managed to achieve a composed 18-11 match record. Emma Raducanu’s most significant accomplishment of the present season was getting to the semifinal in Nottingham.
Emma Raducanu will square off with the world no.50 Viktoriya Tomova in the final. Their current record is 1-0 for Tomova.
She is also scheduled to play in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Tennis Open). The main draw will start on the 28th of October.
Emma Raducanu |
| Embed from Getty Images |
