Jack Draper reveals why he is betting on Emma Raducanu becoming a Grand Slam contender again

James Richardson 14 Dec 2023 5:10 PM

Emma Raducanu looking to make a comeback

When Emma Raducanu regains full fitness, she will compete for Grand Slam championships, according to compatriot Jack Draper.

Following wrist and left ankle operations in May, the 2021 US Open champion is set to return to competition at the ASB Classic in Auckland next month.

Raducanu, who has entered with a protected ranking of world No 103, will most likely need a wildcard or to qualify for the Australian Open beginning in January 2024.

However, her 21-year-old pal Draper believes Raducanu, who entered the world’s top 10 after her US Open triumph in 2021, is destined to return to the top.

“When she’s fit, she’s an incredible player,” said the British No 4.

“I think she’s been struggling with injuries for a long time. I think people forget that before the US Open she was still in school. She didn’t have a lot of training. Obviously, she had that huge run and achieved what people dream of achieving in their whole career. And then obviously I think to expect so much of her after that is a bit of a mistake because she hasn’t maybe got a lot of that physical foundation and the experience of playing on the tour and all those things that all those other players have.

“But I think the talent that she’s got and the maturity as well to do what she did at the US Open is off the charts.

“I think if she can get herself to a good fitness level, she’ll be right up there with the best in the world and she’ll be competing for Grand Slams again. It’s not a quick fix, it takes a lot of time. She’s motivated to want to come back. I think maybe with my shoulder injury, you come off court and you have all this time watching people win things on the big stages and you feel like you’re not being productive and you gain that love for it back and you gain that motivation to want to be back to where you were.

“I know that at some point next year, the year after that she’s going to be back to being in those finals and those big positions because she’s got everything it takes. It’s just a matter of when.”

Raducanu has struggled to string results together since her US Open triumph and she appears to have pushed herself beyond breaking point once before.

Draper isn’t alone in thinking that Raducanu will turn things around.