Former 18-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova thinks a healthy Emma Raducanu can do more notable things in the near future but also advises the 22-year-old to “sort out” her coaching situation and find a long-term solution because that’s one of the keys to elevating her game to a new level.
After losing coach Nick Cavaday in January, the Briton spent some time alone before adding Vladimir Platenik on a trial basis in early March. However, their stint was a short one as they only worked for two weeks before separating just before the start of the Miami Open.
In Miami, Raducanu put up a really strong run – she beat a top-10 player – reached her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal – secured coming back inside the top-50 for the first time since 2022 September. After one of her wins in South Beach, the 22-year-old gave credit to Platenik, saying some of the work they did contributed to her big run.
Navratilova to Raducanu: Commit to somebody and stay for a little while with them
“If she stays healthy and plays this well, then she’ll be seeded at Roland Garros. I think she’ll move up the ranking well enough into the top 30. The biggest question mark is her health,” the former world No. 1 said on Sky Sports Tennis.
“Hopefully she can sort out her coaching situation because she’s been in a state of flux, but I think she needs to commit to somebody and stay with them for a little bit, see how that works.”
At the Miami Open, Raducanu – who will be ranked at No. 48 on Monday – beat world No. 10 Emma Navarro and she was also close to defeating another top-10 player in Jessica Pegula. But ultimately, fell just short after world No. 4 Pegula registered a 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-2 win.
“If she played like she did against Pegula, then the sky’s the limit,” Navratilova added.
Raducanu won’t have many points to defend during the upcoming clay season so Navratilova’s prediction may easily turn out to be the right one.
Tennis World USA