"She needs a couple of years on tour week in, week out": Emma Raducanu not ready to reach latter stages of Australian Open says Mats Wilander
WTA
Emma Raducanu is not yet ready for a run at the Australian Open. That is the belief of Mats Wilander ahead of the tournament kicking off in the coming days. The Brit has long struggled with injuries and this has continued since her US Open triumph in 2021.
Raducanu won the title but otherwise has suffered which was underlined this past week at the United Cup where she ended up returning to the court but lost to Maria Sakkari in three sets after pulling out of her first tie. Wilander gave the honest non sugar coated truth that until she is playing week in, week out on the tour she cannot expect to figure in the latter stages of tournaments.
He said that she has the game there but with the bad luck which he said she's having too much of right now, it is very much a tough road to get to that point. "Well, I think she can do something like winning a couple of matches. "I don't expect Emma Raducanu's game to be good enough where she can get to the quarters or semis or final because I don't think her game is good enough and I don't think the preparation is there," he said to TNT Sports.
"I think she has the talent. I think technically she has the shots. I think the serve technically is good enough. I think in the future, she can be competing with the best players in the world, but she's not there.
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"She doesn't need two months. She needs a couple of years of being on tour week in, week out to toughen her up physically and to toughen her up mentally.
"She's not ready to have a great tournament. And I'm hoping one day you will see Emma Raducanu that is physically ready. I know that injuries is bad luck, and to her, she's having too much bad luck."
But while this is the case, Wilander said that she is putting herself in the best position possible by hiring a coach of the calibre of Francisco Roig who he called one of the best people he's met in his life in terms of understanding tennis and what is needed to succeed. He is backing him to be a game changer while in her corner.
"Well, I think it's going to help because I think Emma Raducanu is still in the building part of her career. Even though she's won a Grand Slam, she's still trying to build a game, build the way that she wants to play tennis.
"And I think Francisco Roig understands tennis as good as any person that I've ever met in my life, and if not, the best. So he really understands the game. He understands technique. He understands tactics. And I think it's the perfect combination because she's building. She's not at the top.
"She doesn't need one word to change her tennis around. She needs a whole book to read out of. And Francisco can write that book for her, and it can really help her."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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