Emma Raducanu will have bigger target in mind with grass court season not 'be-all end-all' says Johanna Konta

Emma Raducanu will have a bigger target in mind and it won't be Wimbledon despite the Brit putting most of her stock into this part of the season after snubbing Roland Garros. That is the view of Johanna Konta, former British No.1 and now a pundit and commentator as the former US Open champion approaches a homecoming.

Raducanu was confirmed this morning for a wildcard at Wimbledon alongside Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka in the initial allocation. Other British representation comes from Lily Miyazaki, Heather Watson and Francesca Jones in terms of wildcards. But Konta sees a US Open tilt as more in her sights.

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“I assume she’s not going into the grass court season as the be-all end-all,” Konta told Yahoo. “After the 18 months that she’s had with the surgeries and the general desire to stay healthy, more than anything now it’s just building on her physical ability.”

“She’s looking to play as many matches as possible and lead into the hard court swing into the US because she’ll obviously have very fond memories of the hard court swing. I think she’ll be enjoying this time of the year and I hope she stays healthy and play as much as she wants to play.”

Emma Raducanu (pictured) has had a stop start return to the sport.

It is on a week where she also snubbed playing the Olympic Games with a spot given to her declined and seen as not the be-all and end-all right now in the grand scope of her career.

“If I’m fit, if I’m giving 100 per cent, I know great things are coming. I just don’t think there’s any need to put additional stress on my body or any risks, especially with my [injury] history,” Raducanu said after the LTA’s head of women’s tennis explained her decision not to play the Olympic Games. “I love playing for my country. I think that was pretty clear at the Billie Jean King Cup. I did enjoy the week in France very much. But the Olympics is just not the right time for me this year.”

But this decision was heavily criticised including by World No.1, Iga Swiatek. "I want to be successful wherever I play, you know? We do not underestimate any tournament, especially a Grand Slam," said the World No 1. "But I realise that I haven't fully discovered my potential on grass yet. So I'll concentrate on work. Generally, the preparations will not be any different due to the Olympics.

"We will start thinking about [the Olympics] only after Wimbledon, because in tennis it's not like you have to be in shape for literally two weeks. We rather have to be in top form four or five times a year. Physically it is not always possible, but we will prepare as best we can and we will see.”

"I think it would be a bigger challenge if there was grass first, clay in the middle, and grass again," added the 23-year old. "Going back to the clay won't be a problem for me. When I come back to it after a whole year, two days are enough and I feel great on clay. This year I already played the Billie Jean King Cup on hard, I went straight to clay in Stuttgart and I was able to play a very good tournament, so going to clay a second time will not be a problem."

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