Emma Raducanu has come under fire in recent months after she decided to play a limited tournament schedule, but it seems all that is about to change.
Raducanu’s decision to opt out of playing qualifying for the French Open was backed up by a move to turn down the chance to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
That call was made so she could focus her attention on the US hard court swing, but that backfired as she ended up playing just one warm-up event ahead of the US Open.
Once again, her decision to pull out of qualifying for the WTA 1000 event in Toronto backfired and she didn’t make an attempt to get a wildcard into the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.
Her first round defeat against Sofia Kenin at the US Open sparked plenty of criticism for the 21-year-old, but now she is looking to change her approach.
Raducanu told reporters at the US Open that she would ‘never play a full schedule’ as she prefers to pick and choose her events, but it seems that stance has changed after a US hard court swing that saw her play just four matches.
“I think the rest of the year, as long as I’m healthy, I’m going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can,” said Raducanu on wtatennis.com.
“It’s something I’m really light on since the grass through the (Washington) DC period. I’ve not played many points, even in practice.
“So, as gruelling as (the match against Stearns) was, I think I had three hours of match experience which can only aid me going into the next few weeks.
“For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can.”
Those comments suggest she has listened to the criticism that has come her way in recent weeks, with tennis great John McEnroe among those giving his thoughts.
“Sometimes I see her and it looks like she is heading back towards the top of the game and then other times I’m a bit befuddled about what’s going on,” McEnroe told Tennis365 at a Eurosport event.
“I’m not close to her team and what is going on, but I hope she is healthy.
“There were a couple of matches at Wimbledon and she looked really good and then in the last one, she looked really shaky.
“It’s hard to know what to say about her. I don’t really know.
“She is certainly in a better space and healthier than she was a year ago, so that’s good, but I don’t know where she is mentally.
“Does she have that absolute belief and commitment to win something big again or be in the top ten? That I can’t say.”
Women’s tennis icon Martina Navratilova was also confused by Raducanu’s approach and urged her to play more matches.
“I think Emma needs to take ownership of herself, of her brand, and of her tennis career most of all,” the former world No 1 told Sky Sports. “She needs to be clear who her team is, what her goal is and not let herself off the hook.
“Aryna Sabalenka, when she had problems with her serve and everybody was trying to help her, she took ownership of it and fixed it herself.
“Emma needs to be in charge and she’s old enough to know what she should be doing – surround herself with good people and then trust in them, and give it time so that you can see the results.
“Technically she is great, but she needs more matchplay. I still don’t think she is as fit as she should be.
“I feel like if you don’t want to play the Olympics because it’s a different surface, you need to fix your body.
“Maybe it’s just not equipped for this kind of stress. She needs to think long-term… not tomorrow or next week.”
Now Raducanu appears to be embracing the challenge, Raducanu after stating she been looking forward to playing in Asia again after missing most of last season following surgery.
The former British No 1’s mother is Chinese and she has made many visits to the country but playing a tournament there will be a new experience.
With no ranking points to defend, Raducanu has a big opportunity to push on from her current standing of 70th in the world over the next few weeks.
“This is one of my favourite weeks on the calendar,” added Raducanu.
“In my match, no matter how bad I was playing, I just wanted to keep playing here because I like it. Korean food is my favourite, so I’ve really just been enjoying my time here.
“Playing in China, I’ve never done that, so that’s going to be a first for me. I feel pretty comfortable in this environment, which is an advantage.
“I stacked the year on the backend heavy, because I’m excited. I thrive in Asia.”
