Former WTA player Laura Robson believes that her compatriot Emma Raducanu will have an advantage at the 2024 US Open over the players who played at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
Raducanu will go to New York, having played only one preparation event. She made an early trip to Washington for the Citi Open and played well there. A couple of wins, an inspired fight, and a loss against Paula Badosa were deemed enough by her and the team, so she returned home to the United Kingdom.
Some have suggested that her return to the United Kingdom had less to do with her level and more to do with her not wanting to play the qualifiers for the Cincinnati Open.
Due to the ranking, Raducanu wasn't able to enter the main draw directly and would have had to play the qualifiers, which didn't interest her. Some reports suggested that Raudcanu had hoped for a wild card, but when she didn't get it, the only thing she could do was go home.
There are many different stories about her return to the United Kingdom, but former player and current analyst Laura Robson doesn't see it as a problem.
In her mind, Raducanu has always been a player who doesn't need much, if any, preparation for an event and can simply pick up where she left off in Washington.
"She’s not a player who needs a huge amount of matches going into a big event. I think we’ve seen that before, where she might play the week before, just to get some fine-tuning done, but she really enjoys the training block and plays her best tennis when she’s coming off a really strong couple of weeks of practice."
The ultimate test of that hypothesis will come at the US Open, where Raducanu will be closely followed. It's the event where she played her best tennis ever, winning the trophy in 2021, so many people will be curious about how things might go after playing only one tournament as a preparation for the season's last major.
Robson sees Raducanu's advantage as that she will arrive fresh to New York compared to the rest of the field, which played at the Cincinnati Open. It's an interesting point, but it's important to note that there is a full week between the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
"So, it’s a really good sign that, yes, she’s had a few matches and has some confidence and some wins under her belt, but also has the chance to get to New York feeling as fresh as possible, whereas everyone else is probably feeling a bit shattered already."
Another important fact to note is that while most players will arrive in playing shape, Raduanu will be quite cold, having not played in a couple of weeks, but it will all come down to how she performs at Flushing Meadows.
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