Tim Henman has rated Emma Raducanu’s season out of 10 ahead of the 2024 US Open, after she missed out on wildcards in both Canada and Cincinnati.
Raducanu is gearing up for the final Grand Slam tournament of the year in New York, which runs at Flushing Meadows from August 26 until September 8.
The British tennis star, who remarkably clinched the US Open women’s singles title three years ago as a qualifier, has been on a resurgent comeback in 2024.
Raducanu missed large periods of 2023 due to injury – and after she decided to have triple surgery – the 21-year-old made her return to the WTA Tour in January.
Ranked inside the the world top 10 just two years ago, Raducanu has been climbing back up the rankings and has produced a number of impressive results.
Victory over Jessica Pegula at June’s Eastbourne International marked Raducanu’s first career win against a top-10 opponent – and she followed it up with a stunning Wimbledon triumph over Maria Sakkari on her way to the last 16.
It hasn’t been all glamorous, though, with Raducanu also enduring some tough defeats, such as in Madrid, where she was largely slammed and ridiculed after losing to an unknown qualifier in the first round in a poor April performance.
Metro.co.uk has asked former British No.1 Henman to give Raducanu a rating out of 10 for her 2024 season so far and he said: ‘That’s a good question!
‘What would I give her out of 10? If we take into account all of her results, I’d give her an 8.5/10. She’s played a lot of very good tennis. I like the way she is playing.
‘She made a few little alterations to her service motion, which I really like. She’s really attacking, taking the ball early on return of serves, I think she looks fitter and stronger and her movement is good. So I would give her an 8.5 for now. Still some room for improvement.’
Raducanu beat Diane Parry, Caroline Garcia, Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova in four straight matches before she impressed in defeat to world No.1 Iga Swiatek.
‘She played a little bit on clay earlier this season and played very, very well,’ Henman added. ‘She wanted to then focus on grass and again she was playing some brilliant tennis.
‘She’s got a great plan in place. When you look back at the injuries she had, and the three surgeries, it was a blessing in disguise. It gave her an opportunity to step away and get healthy.
‘It allowed her to build her physical strength and resilience in the gym and on the practice court. Now, when you reflect on her live ranking, she’s in the top 50. She’s only played 11 tournaments.
‘So you have to take a long-term view on it. There’s almost an obsession over her schedule or coach. She’s 21 and she’s got a lot of opportunities ahead of her.
‘It’s not about tomorrow or the next day, it’s about the next six months to three years and she is moving in the right direction.’
Henman previously set Raducanu a target of playing 20 tournaments in 2024 and up to now, she has played in 11 from January until August.
‘I think she’s on track,’ Henman said. ’11 isn’t a massive amount of tennis, but you don’t want to dive in and have setbacks. Her career has been so back-to-front with what she did at the 2021 US Open.
‘But she has now been able to put the pieces of the puzzle back together. It’s very easy for people to say she’s become impatient… but there is no right or wrong, it’s about what is best for you.
‘I’m sure when she gets fitter and stronger, she will play more in the future, but I’m very comfortable with where she is right now.’
Henman feels uncomfortable about predicting how far Raducanu will go at the 2024 US Open and has suggested she could go out in the first round if she gets unlucky with the draw, although he insists that results are not the No.1 concern.
‘She might play Iga Swiatek first round!’ Henman added. ‘She just needs to focus on the process. To become obsessed with results, winning and losing… it’s more important to be consumed by the process.
‘The outcome will take care of itself. If Emma Raducanu is a better player after the US Open than she is now, then that will be a successful few weeks.’
