Emma Raducanu's fortunes have been mixed since returning to tennis this year, but Greg Rusedski is adamant the 21-year-old will keep improving if she is protected.
Raducanu was ruled out for nine months last year with wrist and ankle problems. She needed surgery on both wrists and one of her ankles, demonstrating just how serious the injuries were, and she spoke about how difficult a time it was for her.
The 2021 US Open Champion made her comeback in January at the Auckland Open. She won her first match back against the Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse, and the Briton was ecstatic afterward.
Understandably, Raducanu has had some bumps in the road since then. Getting fully up to speed again after an extended period on the sidelines is difficult for any player, even one with Raducanu's talent.
However, she has shown flashes of her best level. An example was at the Billie Jean King Cup in April, where Raducanu produced two outstanding performances to defeat France's Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry away from home on clay.
Raducanu also played well during the grass-court season. After losing a tight semifinal in Nottingham to the eventual champion Katie Boulter, she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon before losing to Lulu Sun.
The 21-year-old's tournament at SW19 was overshadowed by her decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles with Andy Murray. Judy Murray described Raducanu's decision as "astonishing."
Raducanu insisted that was the right decision for her and made no apologies for it. She also defended herself after withdrawing from the Olympics to play at the Citi Open, saying changing surfaces so often could harm her physically.
Rusedski is feeling very positive about Raducanu's game right now. The former British No. 1 told Sky Sports Tennis that Raducanu demonstrated some great signs during the first half of the season.
"I think we’ve got to protect Emma because she’s on the way back right now. Great signs, and I think if she keeps on having consistent work, [a] consistent team, she’ll get back into the top 10 hopefully."
"And that’s the ambition. If she can stay healthy for the next six months to a year, the rankings are only going to go one direction and that’s upwards."
The optimism surrounding Raducanu is understandable. Rusedski is not making any outlandish predictions about what she might achieve for the rest of the year. He believes that the champion at Flushing Meadows in 2021 will rise up the rankings in the future.
Raducanu's progress in the first seven months of the season is why her decision not to play at the Olympics is understandable. She put in so much effort to return successfully to tennis, and jeopardizing that by repeatedly changing surfaces is an understandable fear.
The Briton made a positive start in Washington by defeating Elise Mertens in the opening round. It was a tough three-set battle, but Raduanu showed resilience to fight through despite not being at her best. Digging in like that indicates she is in a good place right now.
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