'Emma Raducanu needs time to mature' - Judy Murray says teenager must be patient with body
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 08/06/2022 at 16:42 GMT
"The further you get up the tree, the tougher it is on both the mind and body" - Judy Murray - writing in the Daily Telegraph - has said that Emma Raducanu must let her body 'fill out' as the teenager superstar contineus to grapple with injury on tour. Raducanu was forced to withdraw from the Rothesay Open after just 36 minutes of her first-round match on Monday.
Emma Raducanu
Image credit: Getty Images
Judy Murray has encouraged Emma Raducanu to hire more females as she continues to wrestle with her fitness.
Raducanu burst onto the scene by winning last year's US Open, but has since struggled with fitness and injuries.
The 19-year-old was forced to retire from the Rothesay Open at Nottingham after just 36 minutes in the first-round against Viktorija Golubic, and has admitted she has 'no idea' if she will be ready for Wimbledon.
And former Fed Cup captain Murray said that the teenager's body will need time to develop in order to cope with top-level professional tennis.
"What’s becoming increasingly clear is that Raducanu’s body needs time to mature," Murray wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
"If you strip away the fact she was catapulted into this amazing success following her US Open triumph last September, she is no different to any other young player in the sense that her body needs time to fill out, become more robust and resilient. It’s a process that simply doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the physical demands on her body are at an all-time high.
"The further you get up the tree, the tougher it is on both the mind and body. But on the physical side, you have to start to look at the other factors that can influence performance – sleep, nutrition and psychology are all part of that package."
Murray, mother of three-time Grand Slam winner and former British number one Andy, also reflected on her son's adaptation to the demands of the tour.
And she promoted the use of a physio in understanding how to best manage the hectic calendar.
"I remember when Andy (Murray) was making the step up from the juniors to the ATP tour," she wrote. "He had a number of recurring physical problems. In particular, he suffered from a lot of cramping. His body was perfectly ready for the demands of the lower rungs of the circuit but not necessarily for the heavier hitting, the longer, more rigorous rallies and stronger opponents he came up against on the tour.
"Players often have shared access to physios at WTA and ATP events but I cannot understate how crucial it is to have someone who knows a player’s body, style of play and understands the physical demands of tennis."
Murray also shed light on the unique issues faced by female tennis players, just a week after Chinese 19-year-old Qinwen Zen opened up about how menstrual cramps had stifled her performance in her French Open defeat against Iga Swiatek.
And Murray added the presence of females in one's entourage could help Raducanu better manage her time on tour, her health and development.
"I think there’s a particular point to be made here about female players such as Raducanu having access to a specialist who understands the female body," she added.
"The menstrual cycle and its impact on athletic performance is an area of sports science that has been woefully neglected and only now are we beginning to understand its impact on an athlete, both psychologically and physically.
"How many of today’s top female players, I wonder, are harnessing the peaks and troughs of their cycle and tailoring it to their training and performance? How many could feel more empowered by investing in a women’s health physio or specialist and making their entourage that bit more female-centric?"
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement