Emma Raducanu will be highly motivated ahead of US Open following her brave Wimbledon third-round exit to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka;
Tim Henman says Emma Raducanu’s brave Wimbledon third-round exit to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will “motivate” her for the American hard-court swing.
Raducanu knows exactly how to get the best out of her game on grass and she again performed strongly at the All England Club.
A second-round victory over former champion Marketa Vondrousova was very impressive and she was unfortunate to lose out to world No 1 Sabalenka in one of the matches of the tournament.
A key feature of Raducanu’s success was her close partnership with coach Mark Petchey, but she faces more uncertainty on that front with Petchey unwilling to give up his media career.
Raducanu thrives with people she trusts around her, so finding a stable set-up must be the priority ahead of the US Open, which she famously won in 2021.
“She’s a much better player than she was in 2021 because she’s had four more years of experience and now she’s started to build more of a team around her,” Henman told Sky Sports News.
“She’s been competing so much more this year, which therefore emphasises the physical resilience that she’s got because she was always getting injuries. So I just hope she can continue in that vein because if she keeps doing the right things on the practice court, the results will come on the match because she’s that good a player. And I think it was great to see her on the biggest stage in our sport against the number one player in the world. “She had a really good chance to win that match and I’m sure that will motivate her now moving onto the hardcourt swing in America to keep building.”
