"People see you are a target" - Former Wimbledon star believes Emma Raducanu would face a difficult challenge if she plays lower-ranked events

As Emma Raducanu continues to suffer a drop in the WTA rankings, many have advised the British star to compete at Challenger events in order to gain easy ranking points. However, Austrian tennis star Tamira Paszek believes the former World No.10 would "be hunted" if she were to use that route.

Since winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open, Raducanu has suffered a significant rankings drop due to poor form and injuries. The 21-year old has also undergone several coaching changes during her short career, prompting several in the tennis community to ponder on what lies next for the young Brit.

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Competing at Challenger events would make her a huge target, says Paszek

Raducanu has withdrawn from several tournaments over the past few months, causing her to lose ranking points. This has led many fans and analysts to propose Raducanu play at smaller ITF events, in order to boost her ranking. However, former World No.26 Paszek believes this strategy may backfire on the former US Open champion.

“It’s easy to say she should play this tournament just to get points or matches, but if she played at a lower level, she would be hunted,” said 2011 and 2012 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Paszek at the ITF World Tennis Tour event in Shrewsbury. “I have felt this. I had some success in my career and now I am playing smaller events and it is tough. People see you are a target and that is a tough challenge.
“So saying she should just play lower ranking events is not always so easy and I understand how it has been difficult for her. When you have experienced success like that and winning a Grand Slam, it’s always going to be tough."