Former Britain’s number one player Tim Henman believes that
Emma Raducanu deserves to go through a ‘qualifying’ round stage to plain in the
main draw of different events after a disappointing outing at the US Open. The
fourth and final Grand Slam of the year began on Monday where players from all
over the world are currently participating to showcase their talent and secure
the ultimate prize.
One of the big results in the first-round saw Raducanu crash out of the event after losing to 2020 Australian Open winner America’s Sofia
Kenin with a score of 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Former Britain’s number one Henman, who
has been working for Sky Sports, was quoted in a report by Daily Express where
he highlighted one of the reasons why Raducanu has struggled in the ongoing
campaign. The 49-year-old was of the opinion that perhaps the 21-year-old deserves
to go through a qualifying round phase to book her place in the main round of
different competitions.
“This has all been a rebuilding process when she's coming
back from the surgeries,” she said. “When she has played she has played very
well. That was a big chunk of the summer to miss. Obviously they were big
tournaments and she wasn't a direct acceptance [into the main draw] but in
hindsight she probably should have been in qualifying to get those match reps
under her belt. She's learning all the time and fingers crossed she's going to
have many more opportunities here at the US Open in the future. I still think
her game is moving in the right direction and there are still elements that she
can do better.”
Raducanu broke onto the scene back in 2021 when she lifted
the US Open title at the age of just 18. The most impressive aspect of that
triumph was the fact that she started the competition through the qualifying
round and still managed to go all the way and win the title after beating Canada’s
Leylah Fernandez in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3.