Judy Murray suggests Emma Raducanu bring in a female trainer to better understand her body among constant injury struggles this season

Judy Murray suggests Emma Raducanu bring in a female trainer to better understand her body among constant injury struggles this season

Judy Murray and Emma Raducanu

World No. 11 Emma Raducanu has been struggling with injuries consistently this season and it has been one of the main reasons for the Brit’s poor performances this season having won only 8 of the 19 matches she has played this season. Having not won three consecutive matches this season yet, things haven’t gone well for the 2021 US Open champion much to the disappointment of many tennis enthusiasts.

These issues coupled with her chopping-and-changing policy of a head coach have been the talk of the town for a long time. Amidst this, Judy Murray, mother and former coach of tennis stars Andy Murray and Jamie Murray, recently in her column in The Telegraph penned down a few bits of advice for the young Brit that she can follow going ahead into the season.

“What’s becoming increasingly clear is that Raducanu’s body needs time to mature. If you strip away the fact she was catapulted into this amazing success following her US Open triumph last September, she is no different to any other young player in the sense that her body needs time to fill out and become more robust and resilient. It’s a process that simply doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the physical demands on her body are at an all-time high. 

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“Players often have shared access to physios at WTA and ATP events but I cannot understate how crucial it is to have someone who knows a player’s body, style of play and understands the physical demands of tennis. It’s even more important that your team – coach, physio and fitness trainer work together to coordinate the best possible training and competition programme.

“But they also must work with the ‘business’ team to plot in the sponsor and media engagements to fit with the tennis schedule. It’s a big job which often requires an external, expert performance manager. The further you get up the tree, the tougher it is on both the mind and body. But on the physical side, you have to start to look at the other factors that can influence performance – sleep, nutrition and psychology are all part of that package,” wrote Judy.

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“It’s a marathon, not a sprint” Judy Murray asks people to give Emma Raducanu some time

Emma Raducanu, Bianca Andreescu
Emma Raducanu

Female players’ health became a topic of discussion once again when Chinese teenager Qinwen Zheng talked about her period cramps made it difficult for her to compete against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the fourth round of the 2022 French Open. Zheng was the only player who managed to take a set from Iga during her title run in Paris and had the Pole back on the ropes for a good while during their match. Judy used the example to emphasise her point further.

“I think there’s a particular point to be made here about female players such as Raducanu having access to a specialist who understands the female body. Last week, we saw China’s Qinwen Zheng – who at 19 is the same age as Raducanu – candidly opened up about how her menstrual cramps played a role in her defeat to Iga Swiatek at the French Open.

“But the menstrual cycle and its impact on athletic performance is an area of sports science that has been woefully neglected and only now are we beginning to understand its impact on an athlete, both psychologically and physically. I’ve seen it before – a sponsor might have a campaign to activate at the next slam, so they put pressure on the agent, who puts pressure on the coach, who in turn pressurises the fitness trainer to make sure the player is ready. But is that keeping the athlete’s best interests at heart?  

“But as with any young player adjusting to the rigours of their first professional season on the tour, it is a marathon and not a sprint. As we wait to find out whether Raducanu will grace SW19 this year, we ought to remember that,” added Judy in her article.

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