Emma Raducanu has been backed to “find her feet again” with former world No 9 Andrea Petkovic saying she has two key features in her make-up that can make her “really dangerous”, especially at Grand Slams.
Former world No 10 Raducanu is set to return to action this week as she is expected to feature in Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie against France.
It will be her sixth event since returning to action at the start of the year after she missed the bulk of the 2023 season following surgery on both her wrists and her one knee in May.
Raducanu is 5-5 this year and has won back-to-back matches only once – at the Indian Wells Open – and currently finds herself at No 302 in the WTA Rankings.
The 21-year-old’s form has generally been uninspiring since she won the 2021 US Open as she finished the 2022 campaign 17–19 while she was also 5-5 in 2023.
It has raised questions over whether or not Raducanu would ever recapture the form that won her the US Open in fairytale circumstances as just over two years ago she won 10 matches in a row – including three qualifying – to become the first qualifier to win the tournament.
Petkovic believes youth and her experience at winning a beginning tournament will make her a “dangerous” opponent, but the German admits she will need to get some wins under her belt first at the majors.
“First and foremost: her youth,” she told Eurosport. “If I was as young as she is, I would still believe I could do anything.
“She has the advantage that she won’t be afraid of winning a tournament if she gets to the second week of a Grand Slam event or goes far in a competition again. Simply because she has already done it once at the US Open.
“That’s a huge mental advantage that can never be taken away from her again. This title just came a little too quickly. She won more matches in New York than she had previously played on the WTA Tour.
“That was a crazy situation that doesn’t happen very often. I’m sure she’ll find her feet again.
“Once Emma wins one or two Grand Slam matches, she’ll be really dangerous.”
Raducanu has featured at only six Grand Slams since her 2021 US Open title run – winning five matches – as she missed the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open last year following surgery.
After this weekend’s Billie Jean King Cup tie against France, Raducanu will return to regular WTA Tour action next week as she has been given a wildcard for the Stuttgart Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.