Winning several matches at the AO2022 would be a good result for the British tennis talent Emma Raducanu, according to former world number one Justine Henin.
The 19-years-old Emma Raducanu became a star last September when she won the US Open title, becoming the first British player to win the trophy since Virginia Wade in 1977.
This instantly made her one of the most famous in women’s tennis, but her debut in the main draw of the Australian Open, where she will be 17th-seeded, is only her fourth Grand Slam tournament.
The British player was forced to isolate herself after passing a positive test for COVID-19 last month and in her first match of the year, she was defeated by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina by 2-0 (6:0, 6:1) at the first round of the WTA 500 Sydney Classics.
Emma Raducanu will start in Melbourne against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
The Belgian former tennis player Justine Henin believes that her shocking title in New York has complicated her development and warned her not to burden the British woman with high expectations while she continues to develop.
“If she manages to win two matches at the Australian Open, that would be very good for her”, said Justine Henin, who will work as an analyst for Eurosport television during the tournament. “If she is too carried away by people’s expectations, it will be a very difficult time for a long time, so she needs the right people around her”, added she.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin said it was hard for her to imagine how Emma Raducanu managed to make her incredible breakthrough.
“It’s more complicated for her. I’ve never experienced a situation like this because when I won my first Grand Slam tournament, I was already much ahead in my development. But it happened very quickly for Emma. I was very impressed with how she played at the US Open. It was something fresh. We needed this charismatic girl who plays good tennis and handles the situation. It was amazing and brought me a lot of emotions. But she couldn’t realize she was going to have to live like this at such an early age. stage of his career”, said Justine Henin.
The Belgian added that the important thing is for Raducanu to work on the development of his game, and not to stress about the results.
“To win a Grand Slam tournament, you usually have to go through some stages, and she still has to go through them. The important thing is that she and her surroundings are firmly on the ground. She still has to develop, and development requires hard work. I would say that winning the US Open was the best and worst thing that could have happened to her”, said the 39-years-old Justine Henin.