Andy Murray's former coach, Mark Petchey, is hopeful about Emma Raducanu's future, but he also thinks she is at a crossroads.
Raducanu had to manage unrealistic expectations from many members of the British media after her stunning run to the US Open title as an 18-year-old qualifier. She did not drop a set throughout the tournament.
Rather than realizing that a historic run like that was unlikely to happen again and Raducanu needed time to develop her game and adjust to daily life on the WTA Tour, some parts of the media expected the 21-year-old to regularly challenge for the most significant titles.
Unsurprisingly, Raducanu did not meet those sometimes absurd hopes. However, other factors have also contributed to her struggles since winning the US Open title.
Raducanu was injured for most of 2023, sustaining severe wrist and ankle injuries that required surgery. She was absent from professional tennis for nine months and returned at the start of 2024.
Those injuries were unfortunate and outside of Raducanu's control. However, she has been criticized for some of her scheduling decisions. For example, the Briton did not play a match for over three weeks before the recent US Open.
Raducanu lost to Sofia Kenin in the opening round at Flushing Meadows, and some felt the outcome could have been different if she had more match practice. Andy Roddick said she does herself no favors with her scheduling decisions.
Her commitment to representing Britain cannot be doubted, though. Raducanu will lead her country at November's Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, significantly boosting Team Britain's chances of succeeding.
Petchey views Raducanu's decisions differently from others. Speaking to Bally Casino, Petchey outlined how he does not think someone as young as the 21-year-old makes mistakes but is finding the solutions that work best for her.
"I’m a big believer that you don’t really make mistakes at Emma Raducanu’s age. I think you make decisions and then you see solutions and that’s where we find ourselves with Emma at the moment and where she finds herself."
Andy Murray's former coach does not think Raducanu's stubbornness is a bad thing. However, Petchey also acknowledges she undoubtedly wishes some things had been different in the last few years, and now is the time for her to consider her options.
“She’s stubborn in certain areas which is a great quality in tennis, you need that. You need to have a certain self-reliance; you need to be able to put things to one side and entertain thoughts that you don’t necessarily always need to implement into your game, but you must consider things. I’m sure she now wishes that some things had been different.”
Petchey also said there is no point in Raducanu dwelling on the past, and she stands at a crossroads where she can make different decisions about managing all aspects of her career.
"But the reality of life is that if you find yourself at a crossroads, you need to make another decision about how you go forward from here. From Emma’s perspective right now, there’s no point looking back over the last couple of years overthinking, it’s all wasted energy. Hopefully, the bumpy ride has shown her a roadmap or a signpost of where she wants to go from here to progress as a player.”
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