Emma Raducanu faces ‘massive learning curve’ says former top 10 pro

Tim Henman believes that Emma Raducanu is now coming to terms with just how much tennis is a “brutal sport” following her opening match loss at the Miami Open. 

Her loss to top ranked doubles player Katerina Siniakova in Florida capped off a disappointing week for the 19-year-old British starlet as she also crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters in the second round.

In her first full season on the WTA tour, Raducanu has struggled with injuries and maintaining consistent performances. She has only gone further than the second round just once at a tournament in the past seven months since her US Open victory. This came when she reached the quarter-finals of the Transylvania Open. In addition, she has only won two matches in 2022 out of a possible seven and was even forced to withdraw against Daria Saville at the Guadalajara Open in January.

Speaking after Raducanu’s loss to Siniakova, Tim Henman stated that despite the positives in her performance, expectations are still high from her first Grand Slam victory making it difficult for her following defeats. “It’s an unbelievably tough loss for Emma. She did everything but win the match and the quality from both women was fantastic.”

Speaking to Amazon Prime, “Everyone is going to compare the way she played at the US Open to here, but I think she played just as well as she did in New York. The reality is all the big points and big games, she managed to win in New York. It hasn’t happened here, but that’s why this is such a brutal sport. It’s a massive learning curve for Raducanu, but there are still so many positives to take from this match.”

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