Emma Raducanu can be one of the best players in the world but she has to find an identity, says Mats Wilander
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Published 05/01/2023 at 07:39 GMT
Emma Raducanu "has to solve certain things around her tennis", reckons Mats Wilander as he looked ahead to the Briton's prospects in 2023. Speaking exclusively to Eurosport, Wilander says he struggles to see what Raducanu's "absolute strength" is, and warned that process will take time - potentially as much as a couple of years - and consistent coaching.
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Emma Raducanu needs to find an identity if she is going to fulfil her potential as one of the world's best players, reckons Mats Wilander.
Raducanu, currently preparing for the Australian Open in Melbourne, experienced a difficult 2022 with her progress stunted by a number of niggling injuries and not helped by a bout of Covid-19 around this time last year.
The 2021 US Open champion has, however, seemingly had a better off-season, with Jez Green, the former trainer to Andy Murray, in her corner as she bids to improve her physical condition.
But Wilander says Raducanu's tennis also needs some close attention if she is to fulfil her potential over the long-term.
Speaking exclusively to Eurosport's Arnold Montgault, Wilander said: "It's not going to be a big surprise if she [Raducanu] sort of breaks through again, so to speak, and gets up to sort of the top 10 in the world, and she has a couple of quarter finals.
"It's not a big surprise because she has the level. She understands tennis. She has the level when she's playing well.
"She has to solve certain things around her tennis. She's got to solve the coaching situation. She's got to find somebody that she trusts so that she finds her identity as a player.
"If you ask me, and I've seen a lot of tennis, I don't know if I'm going to put her in the aggressive category or if I'm going to put her in the defensive category. If I'm going to put her forehand better than her backhand. Is her movement as good as [world No. 1 Iga] Swiatek?
"I don't know what I'm looking for because it's a little bit all over the place, and everything fell into place during two weeks in New York. That's it.
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Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates winning her singles match against Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic during day two of the 2023 ASB Classic Women's at the ASB Tennis Arena on January 03, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Image credit: Getty Images
"But the qualities she showed and shows every time she steps on the court? Yes, she can be one of the best players in the world, but she has to find an identity.
"What am I relying on? What's my absolute strength?
"Novak Djokovic, for example, is the one I compare her to. Novak's strength is what? The forehand, it's really good. The backhand, unbelievable serve, really good. What's his strength, covering the court? Movement, not missing.
"Emma Raducanu, I don't know where she is, and I think that she needs a coach to work that out, and that doesn't take two weeks. That takes a couple of years to find a person to trust and then work through all this, and eventually one day you say, 'Ah, we found it'.
"This is how you need to win matches. Whatever the formula is, it's just not there visibly to me."
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