John McEnroe delivers Emma Raducanu verdict ahead of Iga Swiatek clash

John McEnroe believes it is good to see Emma Raducanu “back in the mix” as he assessed her chances of defeating Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open.
Former US Open champion Raducanu and five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek will meet for the fourth time on Saturday, with a place in the second week of the Australian Open at stake.
It is the first time that Raducanu has reached round three in Melbourne, with the Brit producing an impressive performance to beat Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday.
The win was not without some concern, though, with the 22-year-old receiving medical attention from a trainer on multiple occasions.
Speaking on Eurosport, tennis great McEnroe believes physical struggles could prove an issue for Raducanu against Swiatek – but believes she has “a shot” at victory.
He said: “She called the trainer a couple of times on the court during the second set against Anisimova so it looks kind of iffy what was going to happen.
“I don’t know if that threw Anisimova off, but it worked. She looked like she was moving better – but obviously that will be a problem against Iga.
“To me, when you play a top player like Iga who’s not as comfortable on hard courts as she is on clay, it’s a good time to play her, when she’s not quite sure of herself.
“Radacanu’s making progress but it’ll be a tall order. If she’s feeling right, she’ll have a shot at it. It’s good to see her back in the mix.”
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Raducanu has lost all three of her previous matches against Swiatek, who beat Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round for the 20th straight major.
However, there are reasons for optimism for the Brit.
Their three previous encounters – two on indoor clay in Stuttgart, and once in Indian Wells – have all come on the Pole’s favoured slower courts, while the faster Melbourne conditions may suit Raducanu.
Adding to McEnroe’s assessment, former world No 4 Tim Henman claimed that the Brit needed to go in with the “belief” she could topple the second seed.
“We can focus on kind of either end of the court,” added Henman.
“I would focus on what Raducanu’s doing – she just needs matches. She needs to keep this physical resilience to keep her confidence on the match court.
“She’s obviously playing against the world No 2, Swiatek who is a brilliant player, but hard courts are not her favourite surface, so Raducanu needs to go in with a clear game plan and belief that she can take down Swiatek.
“It’s a good opportunity as Emma said in her post-match interview, to go out there and look to be aggressive and play with real freedom.
“If she’s passive, Swiatek has the weapons to hit her off the court. But if she can get those early strikes in, then she has a good chance.”
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