EXCLUSIVE: Emma Raducanu is ‘fantastic’ and will get back to the top
Barbara Schett believes British tennis fans can still expect plenty from Emma Raducanu despite her recent struggles.
Raducanu shot to prominence when she won the 2021 US Open, becoming the first player in tennis history to win a major as a qualifier.
It has not been an easy journey for her since then, though, with her suffering with injuries and struggling to find a coach that is a good fit.
She broke into the top ten in 2022, but she heads into the Australian Open ranked number 75 in the world.
However, speaking exclusively to Tennishead ahead of the Australian Open, which is live and exclusive on discovery+ and Eurosport, Schett says she is still expecting Raducanu to be a major figure in women’s tennis.
“I still think we need to give her time,” She said. “I am a big believer in Emma, and I think she will get back into the top ten. I mean let’s not forget that it all happened so quickly, and her life changed totally.
“She has a lot of issues with injuries, not major injuries but just little ones and I think she has to get fitter, so those little injuries don’t pop up all the time. She just had another one in Auckland with her ankle, which I believe is not as bad. She will go her path,
“I think she is a fantastic tennis player, I mean the way she played at the US Open – you can’t play like that for three weeks if you can’t play tennis and win an event like that.”
Raducanu was advised last year by Andy Murray that she needed to find a coach she could work with long-term, and she has been looking for one.
She is reportedly now working with Sebastian Sachs on a trial basis, and Schett agrees the Brit needs to solve the conundrum if she’s going to fulfil her potential.
“I just hope one day she will find a coach who she can work with for a long time and not only for a few months, I think that will be really important for her,” she said. “She has not found that match yet, we will see how she goes with the one she has now.
“I mean she could potentially play against Coco Gauff in the second round which is a big clash, and I am sure Coco would not be looking forward to facing Emma.
“So, we will keep an eye on that one, but first obviously she has to win her first round match. But she will come back, if it’s not this year it will be next year or the year after, she is still young, and we have to give her time.”
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