It's been a whirlwind finish for Emma Raducanu in the 2021 season as the Brit found herself as one of the biggest stars in tennis. Over the course of the fortnight, Raducanu captured the hearts of many around the world with her sensational and brave play which culminated with her lifting the 2021 US Open trophy. Speaking to the Tennis Channel Roddick recalled that moment explaining:
“The hardest thing in sport in my opinion is expectation. What she did at the US Open was unbelievable but it was largely without the expectation of ‘if you don’t win this final it’s bad for you’, it was all gravy from the third round on for her, without taking anything away from her."
He was then asked what the next benchmark would be for her as expectations are now really high after the sudden stardom:
“That would be the next benchmark if I am on her team, getting the consistency dialed in so that our baseline is top 20 in the world and our upper echelon is what you did at the US Open, which we were all amazed by.”
It's something Raducanu needs to work on as her recent struggles on the court have highlighted. The Brit failed to live up to her US Open triumph with a meaningful result after that but with a new coach, she is working hard for the upcoming 2022 season that will begin in Australia.