TIM HENMAN’S VERDICT ON EMMA RADUCANU US OPEN EXIT AS HE CHANGES MIND OVER QUALIFYING DEBATE
Tim Henman feels Emma Raducanu’s game is still “moving in the right direction” following her opening round exit at the 2024 US Open.
The former world No 4 reflected, though, that Raducanu “probably should have gone through qualifying” to get more matches under her belt before the US Open.
Raducanu fell to a 1-6, 6-3, 4-6 loss to world No 54 and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in the first round of the US Open.
Prior to her campaign in New York, Raducanu had not played a match since her quarter-final defeat to Paula Badosa in Washington almost four weeks earlier.
The 2021 US Open champion chose not to enter qualifying to play the WTA 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati — a decision that came under fire.
In an exclusive interview with Tennis365 ahead of the US Open, Henman hit out at the scrutiny over Raducanu’s scheduling approach.
“There is almost a borderline obsession about different elements of her game and where she is going wrong,” the six-time major semi-finalist said.
“She hasn’t played in Canada and Cincinnati over the last few weeks… big deal! It’s two tournaments out of 52 weeks, she has played plenty of tournaments this year and she is top 50 in the WTA Race for this year.
“She is continuing to build and get fitter, stronger and faster. Her game is fantastic. She will be top 20 or top 30 before long, so we need to stop this level of scrutiny.”
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Following Raducanu’s defeat to Kenin, Henman remained positive about the 21-year-old’s progression, but re-evaluated his previous assessment about the Brit not playing qualifiers for events.
“After what she did three years ago, she’s always going to have incredible memories here for the rest of her life. But as a competitor and a player right now, she wants to compete and play well,” Henman told Sky Sports Tennis.
“I don’t think she played terribly but she was up against a world-class opponent who has previously gone the whole way in a Grand Slam.
“This is still all part of a learning journey. She has reflected now and said, ‘I probably came in a little underdone’, having missed that chunk of Canada and Cincinnati.
“She perhaps will do things differently next time as, in hindsight, she probably should have gone through qualifying to get those match reps under her belt.
“I still think her game is moving in the right direction. It’s certainly not the last we’ll see of Raducanu. Fingers-crossed she’s going to have many more opportunities here at the US Open in the future.
“It’s all a rebuilding process as she comes back from the surgeries [in 2023]. When she has played, she has played very well.”
Marion Bartoli, a Wimbledon champion in 2013, suggested Raducanu did not seem mentally engaged during the first set against Kenin.
“I felt that the first set for Emma went by in a flash, she was almost not present on the court,” said the former world No 7.
“And then when you’re already one set down against someone who has been able to win a Grand Slam in the past, on a hard court and who loves these kinds of conditions, it’s such a difficult task.
“Kenin was constantly rushing Emma, constantly on the front foot, dictating most of the play from the back of the court, specifically to disturb Emma, who never looked comfortable out there.”
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