Former world No. 3 Pam Shriver thinks it will take one more year before we get a clearer picture of what Emma Raducanu’s consistency level is going to be. Raducanu, 19, put up an astonishing run at this past US Open to become the first qualifier in tennis history to win a Grand Slam.
“I think 2022 is going to continue to be a challenge for her. I think it’s going to be 2023 when we have a clearer idea of what her consistency level is going to be. I might be wrong, but it was such a sudden, unnatural step from qualifying to winning a major – never been done before – followed up by all these new business partnerships, recognition, and coaching changes,” Shriver told the WTA.
Raducanu suddenly found herself in the spotlight
Raducanu is enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 19 in the world but Shriver said she would not be surprised if the US Open champion finished outside the top-20 next year.
“The only thing that has remained the same is her name, the sport she plays and her agent. I feel like everything else around her has changed, and when you’re a teenager you’re already going through a lot of changes.
I’d be surprised if she’s still in the Top 20 at the end of the year,” Shriver said. After her US Open victory, Raducanu decided to split with her coach Andrew Richardson. Raducanu wanted to bring in more experienced coach and she ended up hiring Angelique Kerber’s ex-coach Torben Beltz.
“So Raducanu heads into 2022 still a teenager. She’s played all of eight WTA events and coming off what for many would be the achievement of a lifetime. Oh, and she swapped out coach Andrew Richardson for Torben Beltz, Angelique Kerber’s longtime mentor,” Shriver added.
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