Emma Raducanu delivered what was expected in 2022 - all she needs is time
So her struggles in 2022 were scrutinised twice as much as normal. All eyes were on her. Every failure was amplified, and every personnel change was discussed.
Raducanu’s year was, without question, tough. During an injury-filled season, she was knocked out in the second round of the Australian and French Opens, as well as Wimbledon. Her US Open defence went miserably too, as she fell at the first hurdle to the enigmatic Alize Cornet in straight sets.
She reached just one semi-final all year, which ended with her retirement in the last set. That was her fourth and final retirement of the season in what was to be her penultimate tournament. It’s fair to say that that summed it all up.
Raducanu was plagued with wrist injuries and blister problems, as well as clear stamina issues, which hampered her in matches that went the distance.
“This year, the demands of the tour, going from having no training or stamina to being thrown into competing at the top level, my body has struggled,” she acknowledged.
Her victory at Flushing Meadows was an example of a young talent playing with no pressure on her shoulders. She didn’t think about her opponents too much, nor did they think about her. She was playing her natural game, thundering groundstrokes from the back of the court.
She was exhibiting the youthful exuberance of someone who didn’t have a target on her back. It was the ultimate demonstration of aggressive and commanding tennis. It was a remarkable feat, mixed with the fact that she didn’t drop a set all tournament.
But that free-flowing, care-free brand disappeared in 2022. Errors were scattered into her game. She struggled to take control of rallies, with her forehand a shadow of what we saw in New York.
Where had US Open champion, Emma Raducanu gone?
Context is very important. Without it, things may not be totally as they seem. So let’s use context for a second. When Raducanu lifted the US Open trophy aloft, she was still someone who had NEVER won a match at an official Women's Tennis Association (WTA) event. Her only victories on the tour had come at Wimbledon - when she showcased her exquisite talent with a run to the fourth round - and at Flushing Meadows. To be clear, Grand Slams aren't run by the WTA, but instead by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
In fact, she played her first ever match on the WTA tour in June 2021, just weeks before her appearance at Wimbledon.
With that on the table and a picture now painted in your mind, why is it a surprise that she struggled for form and fitness in 2022? Why is there so much urgency for a 20-year-old to consistently go deep in tournaments when this last year was her first full year on tour? She deserves some leeway to find her footing at this level now. She sure does merit it.
If you take that major victory away, no one would be surprised by her performances at all. It would have been par for the course.
Winning the US Open will not be a career anomaly. She displayed her ability and incredible potential for the world to see, and she will compete at that level again in the future.
But at that point in her career, it was an anomaly. It came way earlier than expected in her development. So it's time to treat it like that.
Most of her problems should be relatively straightforward to resolve too.
She is on to her fifth coach in 18 months - Sebastian Sachs. Despite being just 30 years old, the German has coached former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka, and even helped Belinda Bencic to an Olympic gold medal in 2021.
"We are trialling until the end of the year. Just seeing how it goes really. It has been going really well so far," she said.
"I have only done a week with him. He’s a really calm influence. He is on it, switched on and excited to see how it goes."
She absolutely has to settle with him now, so he can work with her regularly over a period of time and stamp some sort of identity on her style of play. Changing coaches that often is strange to see, and obviously not a good thing in creating a feeling of consistency and momentum.
He can help get her forehand back to the level we have previously seen, as well as instil more knowledge on how to construct points. Raducanu doesn't have a wealth of experience, so at times, her match play isn't the best. Having a consistent figure there for her will be a boost.
Her physical fitness is, again, something that can be improved easily. As she gets older, she will get stronger naturally. This, coupled with more gym and stamina work, as well as simply more matches on tour, should help significantly.
She also added Andy Murray's former fitness trainer Jez Green to her coaching roster back in Autumn, someone who could make a seismic difference.
But importantly, both these points have one common denominator. Time.
All she needs is time. As she gets older, she will get physically fitter and gain more understanding about how to play on the WTA Tour.
Her former coach, Dmitry Tursunov, also believes that patience is required.
"In my opinion, she’s minimum a one-year project but I would say that she’s probably a two-and-a-half-year project to be on the safe side," he stated.
"Of course, it’s hard to say that and it’s hard for people to understand how it is possible because she already won the US Open. But, in my opinion, her game is very raw, and I think in many ways it could use a lot of improvement."
The good thing is that Raducanu isn't panicked. She knows all this.
Many have suggested that the rise to fame and the sponsorships deals that have come with it have been a distraction to her. Yes, surely those added factors may be an extra weight on the shoulders of any young player. But it is about how you handle it. She cuts a remarkably mature and intelligent figure, which will put her in good stead.
Ahead of her return to action in Auckland tomorrow, Raducanu spoke about the criticism she has faced.
"The other things around me have changed a lot. So I’ve become extremely busy, that's probably the biggest thing. I’m probably more in the public eye, but it comes with the territory and I wouldn’t change it for what happened.
"If there’s something worth talking about they’ll talk, if you’re not worth talking about, then they won’t talk about you."
Despite going into the new season as the world No.78, there is only one person younger than her who is higher up in the world rankings. And that is 18-year-old Coco Gauff (No.7).
Of course, there is no denying that it is important to see an upward trend in the performances and results of Emma Raducanu in 2023. But it doesn't need to be a sharp curve. A gradual one will suffice. The Grand Slam champion has plenty of time on her side, and at this current moment, that is all that matters.
Follow Raducanu as she starts her season against Linda Fruhvirtova in Auckland on Tuesday.
