John McEnroe offers up ‘befuddled’ verdict on Emma Raducanu ahead of the US Open
Tennis legend John McEnroe admits he has given up trying to guess what to expect from Emma Raducanu when she takes to the court.
The 2021 US Open champion is returning to Flushing Meadows dreaming of a repeat of her remarkable maiden Grand Slam win, but Raducanu’s form and fitness in the three years since that win has been less than convincing.
Raducanu only played one warm-up tournament ahead of the US Open after opting out of playing qualifying in Toronto in favour of a return home to Britain for practice ahead of the final major of the year.
She will play Sofia Kenin in round one at the US Open and McEnroe has told Tennis365 that he is struggling to assess her chances of a return to the top of the game after a disappointing exit against Wimbledon in her fourth round match against Lulu Sun.
“Sometimes I see her and it looks like she is heading back towards the top of the game and then other times I’m a bit befuddled about what’s going on,” McEnroe told Tennis365 at a Eurosport event.
“I’m not close to her team and what is going on, but I hope she is healthy.
“There were a couple of matches at Wimbledon and she looked really good and then in the last one, she looked really shaky.
“It’s hard to know what to say about her. I don’t really know.
“She is certainly in a better space and healthier than she was a year ago, so that’s good, but I don’t know where she is mentally.
“Does she have that absolute belief and commitment to win something big again or be in the top ten? That I can’t say.”
Raducanu has hit back at her doubters who have questioned her commitment to tennis during her time away from the court in recent weeks with a compelling interview on in Sky Sports Editions series.
The 21-year-old gave an upbeat verdict on her form ahead of the US Open, insisting she is growing as a player after breaking back into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings.
“I’ve been playing a lot freer in the last month, I’ve been expressing myself and I’ve been fighting, there’s been a lot of passion and I’ve been feisty,” she said.
“I just feel a real fire back and a desire. That is me, I’m really tenacious and gritty, and I feel like I’ve got my spark back which is what I’m most pleased about.”
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Raducanu also opened up on how she relaces away from the court, with art one of her big passions.
“The way I like to destress and relax off of the court is that I’ve become quite big into my art,” she added.
“Painting myself but also take more interest in going to galleries and looking at exhibitions. Then on the musical side, I’ve been picking up the piano as well.
“I find it a very good way to put all my emotions in one place and it’s a great outlet for me because day to day I have to put on a brave face a lot of the time. I think it’s just a great way to release everything.”
“I consider myself an artist, even with what I do which is playing tennis, I mean we’re pretty much entertainers, we’re there to entertain the crowd and the public who are there watching us.
“They’re the ones who are spending their hard-earned money buying tickets to watch us play and it’s about creativity on the court. It’s about how we construct the points, how we deal with different situations and setbacks, what shots and different geometry we can use on the court.
“So, I would say on the court we’re creators and off the court, I’m finding myself more and more attracted to the arts, piano and painting. So it’s more than just tennis and forehands and backhands. It’s like we’re playing piano on the court. I just play so much better when I’m happy and putting my personality out there.”
Fans across Europe can watch the US Open on Eurosport and Max (excludes Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Ireland)
