Emma Raducanu urged to build ‘a good team around her’
Emma Raducanu should use her extended time away from tennis to get her support structures right with Tim Henman suggesting now is a good time to look for a tennis coach, a physio and a fitness trainer.
The 20-year-old Raducanu will miss the grass-court season, including Wimbledon, after undergoing surgery on both her wrists and her ankle in an attempt to end her woes.
Those woes include struggling for form, struggling with injuries and struggling with her health as she has had very little success on court since her fairytale run at the 2021 US Open when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam.
Raducanu slumped outside the top 100 in the WTA Rankings before she took the decision to go under the knife. Shortly after the triple surgery, the Brit announced that she parted ways with Sebastian Sachs and she is now in the hunt for her sixth coach in just over two years.
Former British No 1 Henman believes this is the ideal time for Raducanu to get the right team in place as it should be a smooth process once she makes her return to action.
“From Emma’s point of view, she’s had these three surgeries, she’s going to be out of the game for some time,” he told Metro.co.uk. “It’s a really good opportunity for her to get that structure right.
“That includes a tennis coach, a physio and a fitness trainer. Hopefully that’s something she will implement so when she is ready to come back and work on her game he’s got a good team around her.”
It remains to be seen if Raducanu – who is yet to confirm her comeback date – will regain the form that saw her win the 2021 US Open once she is fit and healthy again.
When asked about her eventual return to action, Henman added: “It’s related to if she is healthy.
“If she’s healthy, has done all the rehabilitation and fitness work and she is ready to play, then play.
“If she’s not, then don’t play. It’s going to be dictated by her body. She’s got to be 100 per cent fit.”
Raducanu recently opened up about her first year on the WTA Tour as she admitted that she is trying to “keep her circle as small as possible” after being burnt.
“When I won I was extremely naïve,” she told The Sunday Times Style magazine. “What I have realised in the past two years, the Tour and everything that comes with it, it’s not a very nice, trusting and safe space.
“You have to be on guard because there are a lot of sharks out there. I think people in the industry, especially with me because I was 19, now 20, they see me as a piggy bank.
“It has been difficult to navigate. I have been burnt a few times. I have learnt, keep your circle as small as possible.”
READ MORE: ‘Emma Raducanu doesn’t want to be a one-hit wonder’
