Emma Raducanu needs to give her body time to “become more robust and resilient” to the rigours of a full season on the WTA Tour, says Judy Murray.
The teenager only made a WTA debut at the
Nottingham Open last year before a run to the fourth round at
Wimbledon where she retired due to breathing difficulties. She then enjoyed a magical run at the US Open where she became the first.
However, she has suffered several injury setbacks this year as she struggled with blisters, health issues, a back injury and now a musculature problem at the Rothesay Open.
Her first competitive game on home soil since her US Open success lasted on seven games on Tuesday as she struggled after a "freak injury."
Former Fed Cup captain Murray has an idea of what Raducanu is going through as her son
Andy Murray had similar problems during his junior days.
In a piece in The Daily Telegraph, she wrote: “I remember when Andy was making the step up from the juniors to the ATP Tour.
“He had a number of recurring physical problems. In particular, he suffered from a lot of cramping. His body was perfectly ready for the demands of the lower rungs of the circuit but not necessarily for the heavier hitting, the longer, more rigorous rallies and stronger opponents he came up against on the Tour.”
She added: “What’s becoming increasingly clear is that Raducanu’s body needs time to mature.
“If you strip away the fact she was catapulted into this amazing success following her US Open triumph last September, she is no different to any other young player in the sense that her body needs time to fill out, become more robust and resilient.
“It’s a process that simply doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the physical demands on her body are at an all-time high.”