"I’m not surprised": Tim Henman highlights what Emma Raducanu must do to fulfill potential ahead of French Open

Britain’s former number one Tim Henman has highlighted what he likes the most about Emma Raducanu’s performances this year. The 22-year-old, who was once regarded as the next big thing in women’s tennis in the singles category after winning the US Open at the age of just 18 back in 2021, is going through a mixed campaign this year.

Raducanu has played in 10 events in 2025 but has only once clinched a spot in the quarterfinal or beyond. Despite that, she has overcome some tough opponents and has slowly but gradually improved her standing in the WTA rankings as well.

Britain’s former number one Henman has recently spoken to TNT Sport ahead of the French Open where he highlighted what has impressed him the most about the former world number 10 this year. The 50-year-old was of the opinion that Raducanu has become ‘stronger’ physically which is showing in her performances on the court.

“I’m not surprised the results have been coming for Emma in the last few months because he is a very, very good player,” he said. “If she wasn’t good enough, you’d say she has to pick her tournaments and play some weaker events. With Emma, I have never thought that. If she stays healthy, I was always convinced the results would come. The physical and technical attributes she has always possessed mean she can play well on any surface and the element I’ve noticed the most in terms of improvement is that she is getting much stronger with the physical training she has been doing. I also love the fact that she has been out on the match court week in, week out and playing a busy schedule. She’s doing all the right things and now it’s about continuing that for two years, three years and five years. What is good is that she has invested that commitment and she has been getting the rewards. Sometimes it can take time for success to come. The fact that Emma is such a good player means we are seeing the results and progress come quickly for her.”

It will be interesting to see whether Raducanu will be able to take that confidence of wins against some notable opponents like America’s Emma Navarro and Australia’s Daria Kasatkina in a competition where she has not done well in the past. Her only appearance at the Roland Garros was back in 2022, where she was knocked out after losing in the second round to Aliaksandra Sasnovich with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. Raducanu will begin her campaign this year in Paris with a match against China’s Wang Xinyu on Monday.