Tennis legend John McEnroe admits he has given up trying to guess what to expect from Emma Raducanu when she takes to the court.
The 2021 US Open champion is returning to Flushing Meadows dreaming of a repeat of her remarkable maiden Grand Slam win, but Raducanu’s form and fitness in the three years since that win has been less than convincing.
Raducanu only played one warm-up tournament ahead of the US Open after opting out of playing qualifying in Toronto in favour of a return home to Britain for practice ahead of the final major of the year.
She will play Sofia Kenin in round one at the US Open and McEnroe has told Tennis365 that he is struggling to assess her chances of a return to the top of the game after a disappointing exit against Wimbledon in her fourth round match against Lulu Sun.
“Sometimes I see her and it looks like she is heading back towards the top of the game and then other times I’m a bit befuddled about what’s going on,” McEnroe told Tennis365 at a Eurosport event.
“I’m not close to her team and what is going on, but I hope she is healthy.
“There were a couple of matches at Wimbledon and she looked really good and then in the last one, she looked really shaky.
“It’s hard to know what to say about her. I don’t really know.
“She is certainly in a better space and healthier than she was a year ago, so that’s good, but I don’t know where she is mentally.
“Does she have that absolute belief and commitment to win something big again or be in the top ten? That I can’t say.”
Raducanu has hit back at her doubters who have questioned her commitment to tennis during her time away from the court in recent weeks with a compelling interview on in Sky Sports Editions series
The 21-year-old gave an upbeat verdict on her form ahead of the US Open, insisting she is growing as a player after breaking back into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings.
“I’ve been playing a lot freer in the last month, I’ve been expressing myself and I’ve been fighting, there’s been a lot of passion and I’ve been feisty,” she said.
“I just feel a real fire back and a desire. That is me, I’m really tenacious and gritty, and I feel like I’ve got my spark back which is what I’m most pleased about.”
