Emma Raducanu has been fired a chilling warning as she gears up to return from injury.
Emma Raducanu will be “hunted” if she changes her mind and decides to compete in lower-ranked events, according to two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist Tamira Paszek.
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The Brit’s schedule in 2024 has been a hotly debated topic. She pulled out of the French Open to focus on Wimbledon and opted against playing any warm-up events before crashing out of the US Open in the first round.
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Raducanu admitted that a mistake was made in her Flushing Meadows preparation, hinting that she could play in more competitions going forward, though that progress was hampered by picking up an injury at the Korea Open.
Paszek has informed Raducanu that she will be targeted by lower-ranked players should she decide to play more regular tennis.
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“It’s easy to say she should play this tournament just to get points or matches, but if she played at a lower level, she would be hunted,” Paszek told Tennis365. “I have felt this. I had some success in my career and now I am playing smaller events and it is tough. People see you are a target and that is a tough challenge.
“So saying she should just play lower-ranking events is not always so easy and I understand how it has been difficult for her.
“When you have experienced success like that and winning a Grand Slam, it’s always going to be tough. She won the US Open literally out of nowhere and you feel like the support around her after that had to be right.”
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Paszek also expressed her hope that Raducanu can find a consistent, long-term coach, having gone through a string of partners since her US Open victory in 2021.
The 21-year-old has been working with Nick Cavaday this year, who she has known since she was 10, with Paszek understanding that constant disruptions can result in a player’s identity being “lost”.
The Austrian former world No. 26 added: “There were a lot of changes after that in her coaching team. I get it, I have been through a lot of coaching changes. Sometimes it’s financially related, sometimes it’s personal. People change, situations change.
