Emma Raducanu gets strong verdict on top 10 and Grand Slam hopes from Serena Williams’ ex-coach
Legendary tennis coach Rick Macci has given a glowing appraisal of Emma Raducanu’s game and shared his verdict on the Brit’s hopes of challenging for Grand Slam titles again.
Raducanu was ranked 60th in the world in March before she kickstarted her season with a run to the quarter-finals at the Miami Open.
Since the start of Miami, where she began working with Mark Petchey, Raducanu has amassed a 20-10 record.
The 22-year-old is currently ranked 39th, having been as high as 33rd place last month — her best ranking since the points from her 2021 US Open title win dropped in September 2022.
Raducanu started her North American summer hard-court swing by reaching the semi-finals at the WTA 500 event in Washington last month. She then made the third round in Montreal, and will look to continue her positive form at the Cincinnati Open.
In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, Macci was definitive when asked if Raducanu could become a top 10 player again.
“Absolutely, absolutely. And I’ve been saying this for a long, long time,” said the USPTA Hall of Fame coach.
“People… listen, everybody can have an opinion. Here’s what happens, you don’t lose the talent, you don’t lose the mechanics. She’s been pretty fundamentally sound on the forehand and backhand, there’s no real issue, there’s no real flaw.
Emma Raducanu News
Emma Raducanu hoping to draw on new coach’s ‘bank of experience’ after Rafael Nadal collaboration
Who is Emma Raducanu’s next opponent Olga Danilovic?
“Like, maybe you might see a little speedbump on Coco [Gauff]’s forehand. Raducanu is rock solid off both sides and, listen, she not only qualified and won the US Open, she didn’t drop a set. That wasn’t like, smoke and mirrors. You don’t lose the talent.
“Everything around her changed, but it’s still a ball, a court and a racket. Now, I’m not in that circle, so I don’t know all the details. I’m just glad that she’s still working hard, she has that in her back pocket.
“It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. One thousand percent, she is a top ten talent. And let’s face it, there’s a fine line between winning and losing. There’s a fine line with that confidence.
“And as she gets more confident and she starts beating the top players, not only can she be in the top 10, she can definitely contend for a Grand Slam, because she has enough game, because she’s done it before. Okay, she’s done it before. So, 100%.
“As long as she has the passion, the belief is getting stronger and stronger because you don’t lose the talent, you just lose the confidence and then maybe a little fitness along the way, but you can always get that back.”
Macci has coached a host of tennis stars during their formative years, including five players who went on to become world No 1: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. He also worked with Mary Pierce, Anastasia Myskina and Sofia Kenin, who won Grand Slam titles.
READ NEXT: What Rafael Nadal said about Emma Raducanu’s new coach after 17-year partnership
