Former British No. 1 Tim Henman described Emma Raducanu’s stunning 2021 US Open triumph as one of “the most incredible things” he has seen and advised the 19-year-old to enjoy her return to Flushing Meadows. Last year, Raducanu wrote tennis history when she became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam.
En route to winning the US Open as a qualifier, Raducanu won 10 matches – all in straight sets. Raducanu hasn’t won any titles since and it has been everything but a smooth sailing for her since her stunning US Open triumph.
But Henman feels Raducanu has shown impressive attitude as he has praised the 19-year-old for how she has dealt with adversity.
Henman: Raducanu should really enjoy her US Open return
“She should get back there (US Open) and really enjoy it,” Henman told Tennis365.
“What she achieved coming through qualifying to win a Grand Slam was one of the most incredible things I’d ever seen in tennis. I was so fortunate to be court side over those three weeks and she’s had a steep learning curve from there.
It hasn’t been straight forward and she’s had plenty of adversity, but I’ve been so impressed with her attitude. She sometimes gets knocked down, but she dusts herself off and gets straight back up, she embraces those challenges and she has learned an enormous amount.
The biggest area is to build up the physical resilience and when she does that, she will go on to achieve more great things in the sport”. Raducanu kicked off her summer on hard courts in Washington, where she reached the quarterfinal.
This week in Cincinnati, Raducanu beat two Grand Slam champions in her first two matches – Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. Raducanu seemingly plays her best tennis in the United States and it will be interesting to see how she does at the US Open.
