Statistics reveal cause of Emma Raducanu Australian Open exit
Emma Raducanu bowed out of the 2023 Australian Open in the second round with 6-3 7-6(4) loss to No.7 seed, Coco Gauff.
With the help of Craig O’Shannessy of Brain Game Tennis, we at Tennishead want to break down where the British No.1 fell short against the American.
Raducanu shot into the tennis spotlight by coming through qualifying to win the 2021 US Open. But until her forehand once again becomes an asset for her game, her chances of going deep once more in a Grand Slam are slim.
The two rising stars in women’s tennis played 147 points in their second round match, with Raducanu only managing three forehand winners. This was not enough offense to seriously worry Gauff.
Emma Raducanu Forehand Winners & Errors
- Forehand Winners = 3
- Forehand Errors = 35
- +/- = -33
Emma Raducanu Backhand Winners & Errors
- Backhand Winners = 10
- Backhand Errors = 24
- +/- = -14
Coco Gauff Forehand Winners & Errors
- Forehand Winners = 4
- Forehand Errors = 25
- +/- = -21
Coco Gauff Backhand Winners & Errors
- Backhand Winners = 3
- Backhand Errors = 24
- +/- = -21
Raducanu’s backhand numbers were immeasurably better than those from her forehand wing, especially when you compare winners to errors. The No.77 ended up -33 when you subtract forehand errors from winners, but only -14 off the backhand wing.
Winning at this level without a fully functional forehand is basically mission impossible.
Raducanu’s forehand woes also spilled over to the return of serve. She put 73% of forehand returns back in play, compared to 78% from the backhand side.
The 20-year-old was initially broken serving at 1-2 in the opening set, where two forehand errors were primarily to blame.
Raducanu’s forehand woes are a combination of technique and tactics. She would greatly benefit from moving her left hand up to the throat of the racquet and keeping it on longer in the backswing. That will provide greater control and precision for the rest of the swing.
A key match metric was forehand forced errors for both players. This statistic is all about the opponent hitting a quality shot and making you so uncomfortable that you miss. Gauff only committed six forced errors for the match, while Raducanu had more than double with 13.
When you consider that there was only five points difference in the match (76-71), Raducanu’s forehand performance can shoulder most of the blame.
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Craig O’Shannessy is the creator of Brain Game Tennis. For 20 years he’s been involved in tennis as a coach to players like Kevin Anderson and even Dustin Brown when he famously beat Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon. More recently Craig’s been working as a match analyst at Wimbledon and for the ATP Tour. He has also used the unique insights from his match analysis software dartfish to guide players such as Novak Djokovic with analysis of opponents and performances.
Visit BrainGameTennis.com to read the latest and best selling course ‘Getting Tight’ where Craig teams up with Jeff Greenwald to combine their specific skill sets to help you with the universal problem all players struggle with in matches.
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