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Jack Draper thinks Emma Raducanu's stunning 2021 US Open win was "off the charts" and tipped the 21-year-old Briton to return to the of the game and compete for Grand Slams again. In 2021, an 18-year-old Raducanu made tennis history when she became the first-ever qualifier in tennis history to win a Grand Slam.
During that year's US Open, Raducanu clinched 10 straight-set wins - she won three qualifying matches before also winning seven main draw matches. At the time, Raducanu was ranked around No 150 in the world and playing just in her second Grand Slam tournament.
After becoming a Grand Slam champion in one of the most impressive ways ever seen, Raducanu started struggling with injuries and she hasn't won any titles since. Raducanu, who struggled with poor form and injuries before undergoing surgeries on both wrists and her right ankle in May, confirmed last week that she will be returning to tennis at the start of the 2024 season.
Draper backs Raducanu to return to the top of the game
“Obviously, when she’s fit, she’s an incredible player. She’s been struggling with injuries for a long time. I think people forget that before the US Open she was still in school.
She didn’t have a lot of training. Obviously, she had that huge run and achieved what people dream of achieving in their whole career. And then I think to expect so much of her after that is a bit of a mistake because she hasn’t maybe got a lot of that physical foundation and the experience of playing on the tour and all those things that all those other players have.
But I think the talent that she’s got and the maturity as well to do what she did at the US Open is off the charts. I think if she can get herself to being at a good fitness level where she’s built up that resilience over months and years and keeps working on her game, she’ll be right up there with the best in the world and she’ll be competing for grand slams again.
She’s motivated to want to come back. I don’t know how she’s going to get on but I know that, at some point next year, the year after that, she’s going to be back to being in those finals and those big positions because she’s got everything it takes.
It’s just a matter of when," Draper said, via The Independent. Former world No 10 Raducanu's comeback is starting at the ASB Classic in Auckland, which kicks off on January 1st.