Emma Raducanu’s big problem is nothing new – she should have found an answer

As Emma Raducanu toasted a battling win in the first round of the Australian Open, it was impossible to ignore a glaring statistic she served up during her 7-6 (4) 7-6 (2) victory over 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Time and again Raducanu thudded her first serve into the net and on 15 occasions, she backed it up by dumping her second serve into the net.

Was this a technical issue or a mental flaw?

Raducanu may have answered that question by constantly making a motion to suggest the pronation of her wrist on the serve was an issue, with the motion of brushing up that back of the ball on the serve giving it the elevation it needs to clear the net.

By failing to get that action on the ball, Raducanu’s serve became flat and constantly thumped into the net relentlessly, with many of her serves failing to get close to their intended target.

Her first serve success rate of 57 per-cent was a decent number, but when she missed that first delivery, there was a constant fear that the second serve would let her down.

Often, a faltering serve is due to nerves or a dip in confidence, but this appeared to be a little different.

Raducanu’s 15th double fault of the match came when she was 6-0 up in the second set tie-break and as she was sitting in such a dominant position, it is hard to imagine nerves were a factor for the 2021 US Open champion.

So that suggests there is a technical hold in Raducanu’s serving motion, which she confirms has been the focus of attention with her coach Nick Cavaday during her long periods away from tennis.

Yet she seems to be confident that the plan she is following alongside Cavaday will reap rewards, with the flat delivery of Raducanu’s first serve giving her plenty of power and cheap points when she managed to get the ball in court.

“If you watch my serve over the past few months, since the clay season it’s gone through a lot of iterations in terms of swing,” said Raducanu last September.

“In general, if you play a lot of tournaments, things move out of place without you really realising, and then it’s harder to get the natural feeling back.

“We’ve been working hard looking at the swing, and which swing suits me best. It’s been pretty big changes, it’s not like we’re just changing the ball placement.”

We could put this serving issue down to court rustiness, as the win against Alexandrova came in Raducanu’s first match on the regular tennis tour since she played in the Korea Open last September.

Her three wins in the Billie Jean King Cup for Great Britain in November were impressive, yet this mix of booming service winners and doubles faults was also a problem during that week in Malaga.

Now Raducanu has started 2025 with the same issue undermining her ambitions, with coach Cavaday clearly struggling to give his student the technical help she needs to find a fix.

The fact she won the match highlighted the quality of Raducanu’s aggressive ground shots and was also evidence of her strong mentality, as a double-fault crisis on this level could have derailed every other aspect of her game.

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“I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today,” said Raducanu, clearly keen to play down her serving issues. “I think it had a mind of its own. I will be sure to reflect, look at that and come back to you.

“I think in the first set I was hitting a lot of good first serves. I hit a few aces. At the same time, I was hitting a double fault. I was quite accepting of that: ‘OK, I’m at least going for it’.

“I think, as the balls got heavier, it was a lot more difficult. More kept coming, it was not easy to refocus, but I knew that, even if I was down, I have great returns. It was good to be able to rely on other parts of my game today that I know are quite strong, as well.

“I’m just very proud that I didn’t let it affect me too much and let the match run away from me.”

Raducanu went on to state that she believes she can find a quick fix on her serve ahead of her showdown with American Amanda Anisimova on Thursday as she added: “I’ve had experience having teething problems with it and then being able to come back and fix it for the next match,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting back out on the court tomorrow and working on it.”

World No 3 Coco Gauff also has ongoing issues with her serve and is still thriving at the top of the women’s game, but Raducanu will struggle to compete with the world’s best players if she hands them almost four service games through double faults.

Coco Gauff has managed to continue to thrive at the top of the game despite a similar serving flaw that was crucial in her defeat at last year’s US Open.

When one double fault comes for Gauff, it appears to trigger a wave of negativity that is in danger of overcoming her, but Raducanu’s issue appears to be more due to how she is striking the ball and that could be good news.

A flaw like this can be resolved when a player starts to get the feel for what they need to do on court and it can happen quickly.

The concern must be that while she has not been playing tournaments in recent months, Raducanu has spent many hours practising at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in London and should have found a way to get this serving issue under control.

It remains to be seen if that sticking plaster can be applied quickly enough to fix her serve and give her a chance to enjoy a lengthy run at the Australian Open remains to be seen.

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