The rapid rise of Emma Raducanu in women’s tennis is something Monica Puig can relate to.
At the 2021 US Open the Brit stunned the tournament by becoming the first qualifier in history to win the Grand Slam. In 10 matches played, Raducanu won them all without dropping a set in what was only her second appearance in the main draw of a major event. The achievement elevated the youngster to the limelight as she experienced a surge in interest in her by both fans and endorsement deals.
However, since the triumph Raducanu is yet to contest another final on the Tour and is now ranked 80th in the world. Last year she won 16 matches on the WTA Tour with her best run being to the semi-finals of the Seoul Open in South Korea. Part of her lacklustre results can be attributed to a series of injury issues she has experienced with the most recent being an ankle injury she sustained at the start of this season in Auckland.
Raducanu’s roller-coaster journey is one that Puig knows all too well from her time on the Tour. The Puerto Rican made history in 2016 by becoming the first athlete from her country to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. Since then, she only reached one Tour final at the 2017 Luxemburg Open and never progressed beyond the third round of a Grand Slam. Puig retired from tennis in 2022 following a lengthy battle with injury.
“I saw her many times courtside during the US Open when she did when that title and she is a very talented player,” Puig said of Raducanu during an interview with Sky Sports.
“Physically, she’s still very young. I’m not going to say she’s already a very established player with a lot of experience. She won that US Open title having not played many WTA events and she hasn’t had a full calendar.
“She still needs time to develop and time to find out who she is as a tennis player, who she is as a person and I can sympathise with her because when I won the Olympics it came out of nowhere.
“I didn’t have as much media attention as she does and I can only imagine coming from the UK where something like that is so big. It just exploded.”
Offering her advice to the tennis star, Puig believes it is important that she establish a strong foundation in her team before setting out any goals. Raducanu has gone through numerous coaches over the past two years. She is currently working alongside Sebastian Sachs who has previously mentored Victoria Azarenka and Belinda Bencic.
As for the possibility of Raducanu claiming more major glory in the future, Puig believes she is more than capable of doing so.
“Absolutely! She’s still young. It’s a matter of time. We’re always seeing generational changes with so players like myself and Serena Williams having now stepped away. The new generation that’s going to come and carry the torch for the future generation,” she commented.
“Yes, she is going to be in that circle of names that are going to be a force to be reckoned with. She just needs to settle, find her ground and take the pressure and expectation off because she already did something that not many people can do.
“Remember the reason why you started playing tennis in the first place. It’s because of the love of the sport.”
Raducanu has played just two tournaments so far this season but was forced to retire from her second round match at the ASB Classic after she hurt her ankle. At the Australian Open, she won her opening match before losing in straight sets to Coco Gauff.
