"I genuinely think she will win Wimbledon one day" - Emma Raducanu heavily praised as Dan Evans makes bold prediction

Emma Raducanu's 2026 season has been a huge step back, with injury plummeting her outside the top 100. Her potential and talent are still evident for many. This includes Dan Evans, who backs his fellow Brit to double her Grand Slam title haul on home soil one day.

Raducanu burst onto the scene at Wimbledon back in 2021, reaching the fourth round before breathing difficulties forced her to retire. She would then qualify for the US Open and go on that magical run which saw her unbelievably win the title at just 18, all without dropping a set in the process.

Reaching a career high of 10th in the world, she was touted to win more big titles and challenge the elite for years to come. That has not planned out that way. While there have been glimpses, Raducanu has not been able to relish that potential.

Injuries have been a big part of this. She has before risen from the depths of the rankings after surgery back in 2023. The same will need to occur in 2027 when she eventually returns to the action.

While her injury layoff has been a long one, the 23-year-old still has a lot of tennis in her career, and the hype around her is still there in certain camps. Evans, who retired at Wimbledon earlier this year, was very confident that she could reach those glittering heights once more.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the former British No.1 made a very bold prediction. "I genuinely think she will win Wimbledon one day," he said. "Yeah, I don’t know why. She’s good, and I think – I’m saying this in as nice a way as possible – I think she thinks she’s good.

“Not in an arrogant way, but when she plays big matches, she’s like ‘Whatever. This is just another match.’ And yeah, I just think one day she’ll get it. The crowd can play such a big part in tennis, and you have to keep yourself together on Centre Court, because it’s a daunting place to go and play. But she looks like she loves it out there.”

This argument has been boosted by what he has heard surrounding Raducanu's work on the training court. “I’m sure she’s getting pushed side-to-side by endorsements, and there’s a bit of tug-of-war on what she needs to do, what she doesn’t. I admit I’ve not watched her practices very often, but from what I’m told, she’s a good trainer: she works for two, three hours in a row with hardly any break.”

Raducanu's 2026 campaign has been one to forget, but there have been some bright moments. Finally, she ended her WTA final duct by reaching the final of the Transylvania Open and Queen's Club Championship, losing both to Sorana Cirstea and Donna Vekic, respectively.

However, a lot of tennis was missed. Illness prevented her from featuring in much of the clay swing while following that final run on home soil, she has not featured in any matches thanks to a stress fracture.

She is not on the entry list of any of the upcoming tournaments in Asia, meaning wildcards will be needed if she wanted to compete once more on the WTA Tour.

Raducanu may already be looking to rest and recover to get to 100% ahead of the 2027 campaign. That is where she will hope to kick on and rise back up the rankings. Closing in on the top 20 at times in 2026, she will have to do it the hard way once more.