Emma Raducanu's former coach Mark Petchey says the British tennis player's historic 2021 US Open was quite something, but also adds it brought some negative stuff and led to the current world No. 36 "living a lot of her career in reverse."
When the 2021 season started, Raducanu wasn't a familiar name and she didn't appear in any tournaments until June of that year. The Briton, who was 18 at the time, received a Wimbledon main draw wildcard and impressively made the round-of-16 in her Grand Slam debut. Two months later, she won a total of 10 matches at the US Open to become the first-ever qualifier in tennis history to win a Slam.
Exactly four years later, the 2021 US Open main glory remains the only of Raducanu's career. And there is no need to even mention how criticized and scrutinized she has been over the past couple of years.
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Petchey, who worked with Raducanu briefly in 2020 while she was still in school, returned to the Briton's team in March and they collaborated until the end of the grass season. Their partnership brought instant success since the 22-year-old made her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Miami.
Petchey: Raducanu has been living a lot of her career in reverse, and that hasn't been easy
Shes living a lot of her career in reverse, and thats not been easy. Having set the bar so high so early on in your career, every week you are measured not just by other peoples expectations but also your own expectations. That is a good thing because it drives you to be as good as you can be," Petchey told OLGB.
But on the other hand, its difficult, because at times it can feel like youre not hitting the standard you want to because thats where your bar is at. From that perspective, her work ethic and her desire to be able to do what she did back in 2021 is as great as I remember it in 2020 when I first had a chance to work with her.
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Raducanu is off to an outstanding start to the US Open after dropping a total of six games across her opening two matches. But now, she is set for a tough task since she is playing Elena Rybkina in the third round.
