Following Emma Raducanu’s 6-1, 6-2 fourth-round defeat to Coco Gauff at the 2025 Italian Open on May 12, British tennis legend Tim Henman outlined a new target for the 22-year-old: reaching the top 32 in the WTA rankings to secure a seeded spot at Wimbledon. Despite the loss, Henman praised Raducanu’s clay-court progress, emphasizing her potential to capitalize on her improving game at Roland Garros and beyond.
Raducanu’s Rome campaign was her best at a WTA 1000 clay event, with victories over Maya Joint (7-5, 6-7(1), 6-3), Jil Teichmann (6-2, 6-2), and Veronika Kudermetova (5-7, 6-0, 6-1). These wins, following a Madrid Open second-round appearance, propelled her to No. 42 in the live rankings, a significant climb from No. 59 at year-end 2024. Henman, speaking on Sky Sports, highlighted her positive trajectory: “When you reflect on Raducanu’s clay-court season so far, it’s been very, very positive. She’s up to 42 in the live rankings.” He set a clear goal: “A number in the back of my mind is 32 pre-Wimbledon. Can she get to be seeded and have that protection in the early rounds on grass?”
Henman noted that Roland Garros’ faster clay courts, compared to Rome’s heavy surface, would suit Raducanu’s early-ball-taking style. “The clay courts at Roland Garros are the truest and best clay courts, where you can take the ball early, and that will suit Emma even more,” he said. However, he identified a key gap against Gauff: “The biggest area of difference is Gauff’s explosive speed in and out of the corners. Raducanu was hitting great groundstrokes, but Gauff could slide over and stay in the rally.” Raducanu herself acknowledged Gauff’s dominance, saying, “You feel like there’s no space on the court,” and cited the American’s heavy, spin-laden forehand as a challenge.
Despite the loss, Raducanu’s 40% point win rate and moments of quality against Gauff, who saved all three break points, showed progress. Her 18/32 break-point conversions in Rome and improved physicality, praised by Marion Bartoli for lower-body strength, bode well. Henman’s target aligns with Raducanu’s 11-8 season record, including a Miami Open quarter-final, but her history of injuries—playing only 13 WTA events in 2024—remains a hurdle. With Mark Petchey’s informal coaching yielding seven wins in nine matches, Raducanu’s next steps include Strasbourg or a Paris WTA 125 event to build momentum for Roland Garros and her Wimbledon seeding goal.
