Emma Raducanu re-cap including McEnroe U-turn and six-month plan

Emma Raducanu receives MBE from King Charles in 2022

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Ever since her very own ‘Fairytale of New York’, professional tennis has been a bumpy ride for Emma Raducanu. Still only 20, but having seemingly been around forever, the British star is currently battling a wrist injury as she prepares to open her Indian Wells campaign against Danka Kovinic on Thursday night. Still hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2022, the world No 10 will play in America amid frenzied talk over her recent fitness schedules and coaching decisions.

Ahead of her Indian Wells match, Express Sport has taken a look at some of her most dramatic moments in recent times.

Boosting rival Bencic?

To put it mildly, Raducanu has struggled to settle on a coach after parting ways with Andrew Richardson following he US Open win. Last summer, she took on Dmitry Tursunov on for a trial period, but after her campaign was cut short by injury, the Russian’s stint soon ended.

The British No 1 has since hired Sebastian Sachs as her coach, while Tursunov is working with Belinda Bencic, who has won two titles since hiring him last October. The Swiss star has since hailed the ‘The Dmitry Effect,’ leaving pundits and fans inevitably wondering if Raducanu has made a grave mistake.

For his part, Tursunov has claimed their relationship became untenable, saying: “I was walking away from Emma regardless of whether there was another [player] available or not. We didn’t agree on the terms and there were some red flags that just couldn’t be ignored,” he told Tennis Majors.

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McEnroe’s surprise support

John McEnroe caused a storm back in the summer of 2021 when he took aim at a teenage Raducanu, who was then ranked world No 338, and reached the fourth round of Wimbledon before retiring from her clash with Ajla Tomljanovic with breathing difficulties. The fiery pundit questioned whether she could “handle it” under pressure, an accusation she sensationally dispatched in Flushing Meadows that same year.

But amid doubts over her form and fitness, the American has now surprisingly backed her for a strong 2023, claiming she is too good not to compete for tournaments and titles: “I think the last year has been overwhelming, obviously. She has gone through a lot of changes in her life and now she has had issues with injuries,” he told Tennis365.

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A six-month road back?

Doubts over the fitness of Raducanu this month is nothing new. Her preparation for this year’s Australian Open was hindered by an ankle injury picked up in Auckland, the latest in a string of physical problems.

After being knocked out down under by Coco Gauff, Raducanu vowed to address her fitness issues before the French Open in May and June, implying her and Sachs had devised a plan: “I’m really buying into and trusting the work that I’m doing with Sebastian and the rest of the team,” she said. “So I’m feeling good and confident that, in six months’ time, I know it’s not going to be the finished product, but hopefully I would have made strides.”

Therefore, this reoccurrence of the wrist problem is untimely, to say the least.

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