Emma Raducanu hasn't recorded many big wins on her comeback, and one former player wonders whether she'll ever hit her peak.
Predicting the future is obviously impossible, but we can look at some former trends to get a better idea of something. Coming back from injuries is one of those things that are impossible to predict, no matter how many trends you look at.
There just are so many variables. Raducanu suffered a lot of injuries, and they weren't minor either. She underwent three surgeries and took a long time after that to return to the courts.
She's been competing for a few weeks but hasn't had a lot of success. The most recent loss was particularly frustrating, as she admitted that nothing was working after the match.
Assessing Raducanu's comeback, former WTA player Pam Shriver warned that some players never truly regain their form again. Just look at Dominic Thiem, who is a shell of himself after his wrist injuries, and this era of tennis kills the joints. Many suffered from it including Raducanu who underwent surgery on her wrist.
"I find this era of tennis so demanding on the joints. I want to see how she stands up to the test of time. There is history that shows some players never fully regain their form, but all indications are Raducanu is fully motivated to become a successful player again."
It all comes down to how she adjusts to this new reality. So far, it's been pretty tough on her, and she hasn't been able to do so, but perhaps with more matches, she finds her tennis again. There are glimpses where she looks like her peak self, so it's in there somewhere.
"Even though we’re going on more than two years since winning the US Open, that run should give her confidence she can compete with the best players in the world when healthy."