Emma Raducanu ‘has what it takes’ to be a major winner with pundit saying ‘technically she’s ahead of Coco Gauff’
Emma Raducanu “has whatever it takes to become a Grand Slam champion”, according to Daniela Hantuchova with the Amazon Prime pundit saying she is “ahead” of fellow teenager Coco Gauff in terms of technical ability.
The 18-year-old Raducanu has enjoyed meteoric rise as she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon after being handed a wildcard entry for her maiden Grand Slam main draw. She then came through qualifying to book her place in the US Open.
The British youngster produced another mature display in the first-round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday, beating veteran Stefanie Voegele 6-2, 6-3 to set up a clash against Zhang Shuai of China.
Thanks for making me feel so welcome! Very very happy to be into r2! https://t.co/3fUR5noRHe
— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) August 31, 2021
Former world No 5 Hantuchova is predicting big things for Raducanu and also compared her with 17-year-old American Gauff.
“Emma has it all, whatever it takes to become not only a top 10 player but I believe also a Grand Slam champion,” she told Amazon Prime, according to The Telegraph.
“There is not one part of her game where I would say ‘This needs to improve’. Unlike Coco Gauff, where I feel like technically she needs to improve a lot of things. Emma is ahead.
She added: “Technically there are no mistakes but also the mental strength she showed [on Tuesday], that is something very special.”
Exclusive – Annabel Croft on Emma Raducanu after her latest US Open qualifying win
Raducanu certainly had the Wimbledon crowd on her side during her fairytale run, but she has now also managed to capture the attention of those watching in New York.
“She really connects to the crowd. She is going to be able to gain a lot of energy from the fans all around the world,” Hantuchova said.
“As soon as she smiles everyone is going to be on her side. We saw it today [Tuesday], playing on a big court for the first time in America, everyone is trying to get photos with her. I can’t even imagine the future that she has in front of her.”
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