Emma Raducanu’s stunning display highlights why her critics are missing the point
Those keen to write off Emma Raducanu may soon be silenced.
As the 2021 US Open champion produced a stunning fightback to beat Caroline Garcia in the Billie Jean King Cup, the player who may still be Great Britain’s finest confirmed her class is enduring.
Raducanu’s team-mate Katie Boulter may have stolen all the headlines over the last year in British tennis, after breaking into the top 30 of the WTA rankings for the first time, yet the opening day of Billie Jean King Cup action in France was a reminder of what a genuine contender brings to a sporting contest.
Britain were staring at a 2-0 deficit and almost certain defeat when Raducanu trailed in-form world No.23 Garcia by a set and 2-0 after Boulter had been thumped 6-2 6-0 by Diane Parry.
But Raducanu, back in the team for the first time in two years after injury, showed once again what makes her a hugely special talent by fighting back to claim a 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory for her first top-30 win on clay.
Speaking on the BBC, the former US Open champion said: “I was completely the underdog, especially going out here in her house, on clay. I definitely turned it around. I fought really hard, I dug in.
“That was a really good test for myself because I hadn’t had those level matches very often. I’m very pleased with my performance and I’m very, very happy to bring this point home for the team.”
Raducanu is inexperienced on clay but said again ahead of the tie that she feels it could be a good surface for her, and this was her best victory in more than a year.
The power of Garcia, who recently defeated Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka at the Miami Open, helped her edge a high-quality opening set, and the 30-year-old looked in control when she broke serve again to start the second.
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But Raducanu, who beat Garcia in Indian Wells in 2022 before losing to her at Wimbledon, met fire with fire, dialling up the aggression on her forehand in particular and flipped the momentum around with a run of five games in a row.
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She had to show her gritty side when Garcia threatened a comeback of her own but the Frenchwoman appeared on the verge of tears during the deciding set as Raducanu kept her foot on the gas.
Her winning moment came with a thumping drive volley that secured the biggest win since her comeback to the sport last January and it also confirmed the level of play she will need to get back to the top of the game is still there.
With her powerful ground shots firing, her serve landing when it needed to and aggression in her game that must be so challenging to repel, the experienced Garcia had no reply to what was coming at her.
Raducanu’s aggressive returning game and eagerness to get on the front foot on every point puts her opponents under constant pressure and to beat a player of Garcia’s class on her least favourite surface and with a home crowd against her was a stunning reminder of what this 21-year-old can offer.
Producing wins of this quality consistently will depend on Raducanu’s ability to stay fit for long enough to build up momentum in her game, but the cynics who appeared to delight in suggesting this magnificent tennis player was a ‘one-hit wonder’ after her US Open win may soon have to revise their pessimism.
