“Emma Raducanu can be one of the best players in the world,” Mats Wilander urges Briton to develop an identity
Mats Wilander claims that Emma Raducanu has the potential to become the best player in the world.
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Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu had a disappointing 2022 season after ending the previous year on a high. The US Open 2021 champion was hit by a couple of injuries last season, which was a primary reason for a huge dip in her rankings. Former Swedish tennis player Mats Wilander has urged Emma Raducanu to stick around with a long-term coach and develop an identity.
Mats Wilander believes that Emma Raducanu has the potential to become the best in the world, however the process could potentially take years. The Swede claimed that the US Open 2021 champion has the potential to play at the highest level, when she is in the right frame of mind. However, he stated that the Briton does not quite have a definitive game plan yet. He suggests she decides what kind of player she wants to become in the coming years.
“It’s not a big surprise because she has the level. She understands tennis, she has the level when she’s playing well. She has to solve certain things around her tennis. She’s got to solve the coaching situation. She’s got to find somebody that she trusts so that she finds her identity as a player,” said Wilander to Eurosport.
“If you ask me, and I’ve seen a lot of tennis, I don’t know if I’m going to put her in the aggressive category or if I’m going to put her in the defensive category. If I’m going to put her forehand better than her backhand. Is her movement as good as [world No. 1 Iga] Swiatek? I don’t know what I’m looking for because it’s a little bit all over the place, and everything fell into place during two weeks in New York. That’s it,” he added.
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Mats Wilander compares Emma Raducanu to Novak Djokovic
Mats Wilander also listed out similarities between Emma Raducanu and 21-time Major winner Novak Djokovic. He believes that both players have a good forehand, and a strong backhand as well. The Swede also made a special note of Novak Djokovic’s flawless movement on court.
“Novak Djokovic, for example, is the one I compare her to. Novak’s strength is what? The forehand, it’s really good. The backhand, unbelievable serve, really good. What’s his strength, covering the court? Movement, not missing,” he added.
Emma Raducanu’s coaching staff has seen a lot of chopping and changing in the past year. Wilander encouraged the Briton to work with a long-term coach, where both of them can build a formula to start winning on a consistent basis.
“Emma Raducanu, I don’t know where she is, and I think that she needs a coach to work that out, and that doesn’t take two weeks. That takes a couple of years to find a person to trust and then work through all this, and eventually one day you say, ‘Ah, we found it’. This is how you need to win matches. Whatever the formula is, it’s just not there visibly to me,” Wilander said.
Emma Raducanu is scheduled to compete at the Australian Open which starts on January 16. Seeded 17th last time around, she was knocked out in the second round by Danka Kovinic in three sets. Emma Raducanu will be looking for a much better start to her season this time around.
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Nirmit Mehta
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