Olivia Christie
Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open campaign was over before many may have expected last month, with the British teenager bowing out in the second round.
Raducanu lost 6-4 4-6 6-3 to Montenegrin Danka Kovinic, who is currently ranked 72nd in the world.
The 19-year-old rose to fame back in September, when she became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title, after she defeated fellow teenager, Leylah Fernandez, in the US Open final.
Raducanu’s victory in New York saw her skyrocket in the world rankings and has also opened doors to lucrative sponsorship deals with the likes of Dior and Tiffany & Co.
Success Breeds Criticism
However, with success has come criticism.
England Rugby coach Eddie Jones suggested that Raducanu had lost focus on her game and John McEnroe has questioned her decision to switch coaches, just six months after he insisted that her Wimbledon debut had “got a little bit too much”.
Given the benchmark set in New York, Raducanu is certainly experiencing a dip in form. Since claiming the US Open title in the autumn, the British Number 1 has struggled to make it past the quarter-finals of any major tournament.
At the Sydney International, Melbourne’s warm-up event, Raducanu was simply outplayed by Russian player Elena Rybakina, who thrashed the Brit 6-0, 6-1.
The Risks of Media Scrutiny
She has only been competing professionally for less than a year.
However, is this criticism really justified?
I would argue that it’s not.
Things have come extraordinarily quickly for Raducanu, who prior to getting to the fourth round of Wimbledon in July, had never won a match on the WTA tour.
This time two years ago, she was competing in the Australian Open Junior event and losing in the first round. Therefore, those firing negative comments at the new British number 1 are overlooking two extremely important things.
For one, she is still just 19 years of age and more significantly still, she has only been competing professionally for less than a year.
In fact, raising the bar so high at such an early stage in her career risks negatively impacting her future performances and having a detrimental effect on her mental health. Instead, one must allow her space to develop her game and be prepared for the odd dip in form.
Increasing Pressure on Young Female Tennis Players
And when it comes to the increased pressure being placed on young female tennis players, Emma Raducanu is not alone.
Iga Swiaktek is another example of a player who became an overnight sensation, when at just 19 years of age, she won the French Open title in 2020.
Swiatek, in a recent column for BBC Sport, shed light on the harsh reality of the pressure that comes with finding such success at such a young age.
She wrote “winning a Grand Slam is great but I think at my age it interrupted the peaceful process of growing up and developing my game.”
“I expected a lot from myself and wanted to show people that I could play like that all of the time. It was kind of impossible.”
The Need for Level Headedness
However, if those on the outside have developed outsized expectations, Raducanu on the other hand, appears to understand the importance of taking things one step at a time.
“I think that the challenge that younger players may face is getting disheartened by a few losses in a row – that’s not something that every successful tennis player has gone through,” the 19-year-old told Glamour magazine.
Former British Number 1, Tim Henman has also echoed this need for level headedness. He told Tennis365 that there’s going to be lots of opportunities ahead for Raducanu and hence, we need to be patient.
Potential, not Defeat
Raducanu fought back.
What’s more, Raducanu’s early exit from the Australian Open does not tell the whole story.
As opposed to defeat, her match against Danka Kovinic is instead testimony to her talent and future potential. The Brit struggled with blisters on her right hand, which in turn, hampered her most explosive weapon, her forehand.
However, Raducanu did not let the situation overcome her. In fact, the injury forced her to adapt her gameplay and she opted for an unconventional forehand slice.
This change of tactic derailed Kovinic, and instead of heading for what looked like a certain straight sets defeat, Raducanu fought back and forced a decider against the Montenegrin.
After the match it was revealed that Raducanu had been struggling with the injury prior to her second-round encounter, and the fact that members of her team had advised her not to take to the court is testimony to the severity of the situation she was facing.
The Australian Open was also her first major tournament under the direction of new coach Torben Beltz, and her preparations were further derailed when she tested positive for Covid in December.
What the Future Really Holds
It is fair to say that with Emma Raducanu expectations have overtaken reality. Instead, we should look to the positives.
At 19, Raducanu has at least a decade of Australian opens left in her. If she manages to stay level headed and continues on the trajectory that she is currently on, she will win at least one of them.
We just have to be patient.
Featured Image courtesy of John Fornander via Unsplash. Image license available here. No changes were made to this image.
