Monica Puig believes Emma Raducanu will win more Grand Slam titles - "Remember the reason why you started playing tennis in the first place"

Olympic tennis champion Monica Puig is certain British No.1 Emma Raducanu will win more Grand Slam titles and it’s ‘only a matter of time’.

Raducanu remarkably won the 2021 US Open as an 18-year-old to become the first player in the Open Era to win a major title as a qualifier as she also registered Britain’s first Grand Slam women’s singles trophy since 1977 in a fairy-tale victory.

Read also

Former Olympic champion Monica Puig urges Raducanu to focus less on social media: "She still needs time to develop and time to find out who she is"

Her triumph at Flushing Meadows propelled Raducanu into fame and saw her sign lucrative sponsorship deals – but she has struggled to replicate any form of success on the court since that incredible win – hampered by form and injuries.

Raducanu, 20, has not advanced to the third round at a Grand Slam since, crashing out of the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the second round in 2022 while her US Open title defense ended with a painful first-round defeat. She has also failed to deliver a single WTA Tour title since, at any level.

Puig, who won Olympic gold at Rio 2016, is backing Raducanu to return to the top of her game and register more Grand Slam trophies.

"Absolutely [she can win more major titles]. She’s still young," said Puig in an interview with Sky Sports. "It’s a matter of time. We’re always seeing generational changes with so players like myself and Serena Williams having now stepped away. The new generation that’s going to come and carry the torch for the future generation.

Read also

Where are Raducanu, Gauff and Swiatek playing next after Australian Open?

"Yes, she is going to be in that circle of names that are going to be a force to be reckoned with. She just needs to settle, find her ground and take the pressure and expectation off because she already did something that not many people can do.

"Remember the reason why you started playing tennis in the first place. It’s because of the love of the sport."