STARNBERG, July 4, 2021 (by Alex Jack)
Emma Raducanu warmed the hearts of the home crowd at the All England Club in reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon, producing exceptional performances in her maiden Grand Slam. The 18-year-old was not deterred by the bright lights initially, easing her way past three opponents to advance to the second week of the competition.
However, she experienced an anxiety attack in the fourth round, although she was already a set and three games down to Ajla Tomljanovic before she was forced to retire. It was a disappointing end to a brilliant debut at Wimbledon, but there is a feeling of optimism that the Brit will be stronger for her experience. At the age of 18, Raducanu is still developing in her game, although she is backed in the tennis odds for the US Open as an outsider to win the crown at Flushing Meadows, demonstrating high hopes for the newcomer. At tennis bets in 2021 you can find the latest odds and predictions on Tennis and other sports.
Raducanu appears to have all the attributes to become successful at the top of the women’s game. She has power and a potent range of groundstrokes from the baseline. The right-hander does need to work on mixing her play up around the court as she was a tad one-dimensional at Wimbledon. Volleys and drop shots are more important on grass rather than hard courts, therefore, Flushing Meadows could play into her hands more than Wimbledon.
Her performances against Vitalia Diatchenko, Marketa Vondrousova, and Sorana Cirstea proved her ability to close out victories in dominant fashion. Raducanu had not dropped a set before losing to Tomljanovic, and even the first set of the fourth-round clash was a close contest. The Brit narrowly missed out on snatching a break before she lost her serve in the decisive game of the first set. Those are learning experiences for the 18-year-old that she must improve if she is to become a perennial figure at the top of the women’s game.
There is an element of caution to Raducanu’s rise. She was extremely impressive in her first Grand Slam, but the tale of Laura Robson will cause British tennis fans to be apprehensive about another promising player.
Robson won the Wimbledon Girls’ title and was expected to take the next step to become a leading figure on the WTA Tour. However, after making breakthroughs to reach the fourth round of both Wimbledon and the US Open, she was unable to kick on due to a spate of injuries and a lack of progression on the court. Since 2018 Robson has not been active on the WTA Tour, proving the difficulty in not only rising to the top of the game, but also remaining there over a long period of time.
Raducanu has made a promising start to her career at Grand Slams and she has the talent to make further progression. She must know that nothing is guaranteed even with an abundance of potential, the hard work begins now in ensuring that she becomes a permanent fixture among the leading events on the WTA Tour, and ends Britain’s long drought without a female Grand Slam champion.
