EMMA RADUCANU HAS SILENCED SCEPTICS BUT IS MISSING ONE FINAL INGREDIENT
For all the hype, the love, and cherished memories of her astonishing US Open win four years ago, Emma Raducanu has been shadowed by a sneering question.
Just how good is she?
Within the space of three days – and without the reward of that silver she lifted so gloriously at Flushing Meadows – she has reasserted her reputation as the real deal.
It will feel like scant consolation in the aftermath of defeat by Aryna Sabalenka, but this was Raducanu proving herself worthy of Centre Court billing as a great player, not merely a home favourite.
The records show a third-round, straight-sets defeat that followed the form guide. Sabalenka asserted her class when it mattered.
But the outcome disguises the fine margins that denied Raducanu what would have been her greatest Wimbledon scalp, the Briton going toe-to-toe with the world’s best for two hours before she could no longer withstand the pounding ground strokes.
For a prolonged period in both sets, the No 1 seed was rattled, confused and even in danger of being overpowered.
Sabalenka was the latest litmus test of Raducanu’s true standing, and the leap forward compared to her previous lame defeats at the highest level was monumental.
Raducanu was outclassed by Iga Swiatek in the French and Australian Open. She barely laid a glove on Coco Gauff when they recently met in Rome.
True, grass is her preferred service and a late night on Centre Court guaranteed enough time for the Pimms drinkers to offer maximum rowdiness in support.
But the slight differences between the players were tantalising, with both playing the first point as intensely as if it were their last. That’s the minimum standard in every event now.
For Raducanu, the Mark Petchey/Jane O’Donoghue debrief will surely be honest enough to zone in on what has been missing, because what matters is what comes next.
We know Raducanu is comfortably in the top 50. There is no cause to doubt she will make her way to the top 20, given her rapid improvement since working with Petchey alongside O’Donoghue.
The inconvenient truth remains that – until this courageous performance – the highest-ranked titans of the women’s game have generally looked a level above.
Consistency is the final hurdle to overcome to ensure that, next time, the net cords and close calls drop Raducanu’s way.
Every Wimbledon participant is capable of great points. None of them would be in the draw without the capacity for great games. Most will recall perfect sets, and dream matches, and even the occasional sequences of brilliant victories at a grand-slam tournament.
But fewer can recollect producing their best again and again, from one point, one set, and one match to the next.
It’s the message Petchey and O’Donoghue must deliver to Raducanu above all others once the disappointment subsides. Occasional brilliance will get you so far. Only sustained excellence will shake the tennis world again.
Such repetition is what separates the serial winners from the hopefuls, with Sabalenka among those leaving the rest behind. Rarely is her highest level swiftly followed by an inexplicable dip. She wins the games she ought to, and guarantees she is always in contention against those of similar level, or who rise to it.
Raducanu’s still-fledgling career remains a series of moments, one of which in New York was as good as it gets. She could retire tomorrow and still have achieved more than most of her peers and British predecessors.
The takeaway from this year’s Wimbledon is that while Raducanu has not yet beaten the best on Centre Court, she has the talent to position herself as the best of rest, hungry and ready to pounce when draws are more favourable than this.
2025-07-05T05:10:47Z
