Prominent American coach Rick Macci believes Emma Raducanu can return to being a Top 10 player if she can find her ‘will’.
At the 2021 US Open, Raducanu created history by becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam competition. She achieved this by winning 20 sets and 10 straight matches. Right there at the top of the page was one of the greatest fairytale runs ever by an undercard.
Keeping that carefree, free-swinging style throughout your next tournaments is often the most difficult obstacle for young players who have just fulfilled a lifelong ambition. Raducanu found it utterly surprising, yet astounding.
Her body has proven to be her greatest barrier, not the burden of pressure and managing expectations. Ever since the spotlight shone on her in New York, she has battled mightily to maintain her fitness. She was forced to retire from four matches in 2022, and her injuries kept her out of the game for several months.
The situation has gotten worse this year. At the Indian Wells tournament, Raducanu showed signs of peaking when she advanced to the fourth round. But following a loss in the Stuttgart first round, she never returned to the game.
Raudcanu only started training again a few months ago after undergoing double surgery on her ankle and both hands in April. It was anticipated that she would quietly make a comeback at the Chinese Macau Exhibition competition the following month.
However, those plans were scrapped when Raducanu made her withdrawal known ahead of time. Macci remains optimistic about Raducanu’s comeback on the WTA circuit and boldly predicted in a tweet on X that she will rank among the top 10 players by 2025.