Why Tim Henman defends Emma Raducanu and sends a message to her critics

Emma Raducanu has faced criticism for some of her recent choices, but Tim Henman, the former world number one for Great Britain, believes the 2021 US Open champion can return to the top of the WTA Rankings. Raducanu faced backlash when she said she preferred to concentrate on her grass-court preparations rather than compete in the May French Open qualifying round. However, before the year’s last Grand Slam, the 21-year-old British player has only participated in one American tournament. She reached the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 in Washington, which was her only match before the US Open.

Although the tournament organizers initially confirmed that Raducanu was on their entry list, she did not participate in the WTA 1000 qualifying round in Toronto. Then, she could not secure a wildcard into Cincinnati’s WTA 1000 event this week, which left her worrisomely short on match practice before the US Open. However, Henman stated in an interview that Raducanu’s critics should wait to pass judgment before calling out a player who displayed flashes of brilliance in his year of comeback following surgeries on both wrists and an ankle last year.

In an interview, Henman said about Raducanu: “We just have to show some patience with Raducanu now. Her challenges have been well-documented since she won the US Open, but the level of play she has shown this year confirms she is moving in the right direction. I have no doubts that she will have some big results in the future. When you look at her ranking and her position in the WTA Race and realize the limited number of tournaments she has played, it emphasizes her quality. The way Raducanu came through qualifying to win the US Open was just fantastic and you can see the inspiration she provided for young players, especially in Britain.”

He added: “She hasn’t played a full 12 months since coming back from injury so let’s give her some time. If she can play for a full 12 months, she will be back in the biggest and best events and she will be seeded once again in the Grand Slams before long and she won’t have to worry about her schedule. She had a real chance at Wimbledon as the draw opened up, but the strength in depth in the women’s game is great now. We’ve just seen Andy Murray retire and having players like Andy and Emma inspiring our junior players is vital to bringing through the next champions.”

EXCLUSIVE – Tim Henman has a word of advice for Emma Raducanu’s critics in an interview with @tennis365com https://t.co/3uMx2ttzhx

— Tennis365 (@tennis365com) August 14, 2024