Andy Roddick admits he is baffled by Emma Raducanu’s scheduling the past few months, saying she produced a “self-imposed stop sign before the US Open”.
There were glimmers of hope that Raducanu had found her best form again during the grass-court season as she reached the semi-final in Nottingham, quarter-final in Eastbourne and fourth round in Wimbledon.
After opting to skip the Paris Olympics at Roland Garros in order to focus on the North American hard-court swing, the 21-year-old then reached the last eight of the Citi Open in Washington D.C. with the result helping her to return to the top 100 in the WTA Rankings.
But there was then confusion and questionable moves after she was not awarded wildcards for the WTA 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati. Instead of playing qualifiers or dropping down a level, Raducanu didn’t play again before the US Open as she decided to hit the practice courts in England.
She then returned to New York for the final Grand Slam of the year, but lost in the first round against Sofia Kenin at Flushing Meadows.
Her scheduling has left former world No 1 Roddick confused.
“I am a fan of hers and I think sometimes she gets treated unfairly and also she doesn’t do herself any favours with scheduling and decisions. I can’t figure out where I’m at with it,” he said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“It’s like she won’t play qualies at all for whatever reason, pulled out of the French [Open] once she had to play qualies and it’s not a good look when someone who has the pedigree of Naomi Osaka decides to play qualies in Cincinnati and she’s not too proud to do it.
“But Raducanu has a great run I feel like she almost creates her own speed bumps and getting back to where she wants to go. Wimbledon she plays well for a minute I was like ‘gosh is this going to like is she going to make a run’.
“All of a sudden kind of disappear and then come back and make a run again. DC she plays, makes semis but gets through a bunch of matches and then doesn’t get wildcards so she goes home for three weeks, doesn’t play anymore.
“After having played back to back, as a player when you’re coming back you want to build those weeks where it’s like okay fourth round of a Slam semis of a tournament, let’s keep it going, let’s keep building.
“The last thing you want is a stop sign at that point and especially a self-imposed stop sign before the US Open she comes and loses in the first round.”
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