Emma Raducanu hasn’t quite hit a high level on her comeback yet, but former player Tim Henman has no doubts that she will in time.
Tennis comebacks are never easy because even the best struggle with them. You can argue that a player like Emma Raducanu never truly proved that she was among the best, but we can take proven champions like Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal as an example.
They, too, struggled after long pauses because it takes time to get back into the competitive rhythm. Tennis is a rhythm-based sport, and it takes some time to regain it when you lose it.
So in that regard, Raducanu’s struggles have been expected. She has won a few matches so far but has also lost some others badly, which shows that she is far from where she needs to be.
For former player Tim Henman, the comeback so far has been positive. She seems healthy and is playing matches, which is the most important part. As Henman told metro.co.uk, competing regularly is what matters.
“If she feels she wants to try and get more matches, then absolutely [it is a good idea]. The number one priority on my wishlist for Raducanu is for her to be able to compete in whatever tournament it is, without any of the physical setbacks. If she can avoid those injuries which break up the momentum and build up some physical resilience, that’s the most important thing.”
Raducanu has clear goals for her comeback. She would obviously love to win a tournament and possibly fight for the Top 10 return on the WTA Tour, but the most important thing is to bypass any injuries. She hasn’t been able to do that so far, as prolonged play generally resulted in some kind of injury.
“Form is temporary but class is permanent. She is such a good player. You could see in the first two tournaments this year, her level was very, very impressive. That’s having not played for nine months. If she can build up some matches, good things will follow.”
When it comes to Henman, he has his own thoughts about any goals and milestones for the British player. Playing 20 events this year without any major injuries would be fantastic.
The more she plays, the more she will win and gain experience. As he pointed out, Raducanu is pretty inexperienced, all things considered.
“If she can play 20 tournaments without any injury setbacks, I think that would be fantastic. She’s too good for the wins not to come. I do believe her level is that good. It’s much more about the process and less about the outcome. She’s still massively inexperienced. If you do a number count of the matches she has played on the main tour, it is still so little.”
“She’s got to build up physical resilience and the experience of being on tour. Then she will be able to do herself justice. Post-US Open, she was still trying to build up her physicality at tournaments, which is hard to do.”
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