Swedish tennis great Mats Wilander has hailed Emma Raducanu’s complete game and believes the Brit will be a dangerous opponent to face at Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old has received a wildcard into next week’s Grand Slam where she will be hoping to build on her recent success on the Tour. Earlier this month at the Nottingham Open, Raducanu reached the semi-finals which was her best run at a WTA event since September 2022. Then in Eastbourne, she scored her first-ever win over a top 10 player by defeating Jessica Pegula in a three-set battle before losing to Daria Kasatkina in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Speaking about Raducanu during an interview with Eurosport, former world No.1 Wilander has paid tribute to her versatility and ability ‘to do everything on the court.’
“I remember watching Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon just a few months before she won the US Open,” said Wilander.
“I actually had a chat with her coach at the time, and I was telling him that I can’t believe how complete she is.
“She’s unbelievably complete. She can do everything. And then, of course, that was a famous Wimbledon [in 2021] when she had to stop her match [against Ajla Tomljanovic in the fourth round with breathing difficulties]. Then she goes on and she wins the US Open a couple of months later.
“I think it’s really important for us, and mainly for her and for her coach, to look at what she’s able to do today on a tennis court. When I look at her, she’s able to do everything.”
Raducanu surged to fame in 2021 when she became the first qualifier in history to win the US Open but hasn’t won another title since. Her progression on the Tour has been hindered by various injury setbacks, including wrist and ankle surgeries that she underwent last year. She is currently ranked 168th in the WTA rankings but has been as high as tenth.
Nevertheless, Wilander believes Raducanu is capable of a deep run at The All England Club in what will be only her third main draw appearance. In 2021 she reached the fourth round before retiring from her match against Ajla Tomljanović. 12 months later she reached the second round before losing to France’s Caroline Garcia.
“Technically, I think grass might be the best surface that she will play on for her own tennis,” Wilander commented.
“She’s a huge threat at Wimbledon to anyone. Though winning at home is very, very difficult, but she is so good on grass and on fast, hard courts, in my eyes.”
Reflecting on her most recent performance in Eastbourne, Raducanu says her ‘biggest win’ concerned her fitness. Before the start of the grass swing, she opted to conduct a training block instead of trying to qualify for the French Open. She is currently coached by Nick Cavaday and has also been mentored by Jane O’Donoghue in recent days. O’Donoghue stepped in to cover Cavaday who was unwell.
“I think the biggest win for me is I was able to play three matches back to back,” she told reporters on Thursday.
“Today physically I actually felt fine. It [the defeat] wasn’t to do with being in pain [even though] yesterday the match was close to three hours. Plus the warm-up before, I played almost four hours on court, and this morning I pulled up completely fine. I mean, I was surprised about it. That’s a big positive.”
This year’s Wimbledon will be Raducanu’s ninth appearance in a Grand Slam main draw.
