Chris Evert showed sympathy for Emma Raducanu as the American tennis legend thinks a lengthy break from tennis might be exactly what the 20-year-old Briton needs after going through a lot in the last year and a half.
Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, started struggling with injuries and poor form shortly after becoming the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam.
As a result, Raducanu was often on the receiving end of criticism, mostly by the British media.
After battling wrist and ankle injuries for quite some time, Raducanu announced earlier this month that she was having surgeries on both hands and her left ankle.
Going forward, Evert says she is not sure if Raducanu can become the world No 1 but backed the Briton to return to the top-10 one day.
Evert not worried about Raducanu: A top-10 return is possible
“Emma has had a rough route, but we knew that when she won the US Open and saw who she beat to get there, the pressure she was going to be under. Also, she lives in England, sorry. It’s a small country and the press is tougher on players in a small country they are on top of them. The fact she is so beautiful and charismatic, all the (sponsorship) offers came in and you can’t say she shouldn’t have signed them. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. So she became overwhelmed, probably lost a little perspective, maybe didn’t train as hard and felt the pressure and expectation. That is a hurricane of stuff thrown in her face. When I saw that picture of her in hospital with her wrist I thought; well you need time off. Maybe this is that time off to take a deep breath, to rethink your career, think about who you want to coach you, think about what areas of your game you want to work on. Just be a little more clear about your path,” Evert said at a Eurosport event, per Tennis365.
Raducanu is already a Grand Slam champion and her career-high ranking saw her ranked at No 10 in the world.
“Do I think she can get to No 1 in the world? Probably not. Do I think she could be top ten in the world? Yes. Let’s give her time. She won a Grand Slam title. I’m not worried about Emma,” Evert said.
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