Emma Raducanu has been told she should be aiming for a seeded spot at Wimbledon by mentor Tim Henman. The British star has enjoyed a positive clay-court season, despite being thumped by Coco Gauff in the fourth round at the Italian Open.
Gauff comfortably eased to a 6-1 6-2 victory over Raducanu in Rome. The American controlled the match but there have been clear signs of progress for Raducanu over the past few months. After a tough couple of years dealing with injuries and dips in form, the 22-year-old is back in the top 50. Henman believes she should be aiming to be in the top 32 ahead of Wimbledon, handing her a seeded spot and protecting her from tough early matches.
Henman told Sky Sports: “It wasn’t the result or the performance she was looking for today. But Gauff had a lot to say about that. Emma didn’t really have the opportunities to dictate because Gauff was hitting so aggressively from the back of the court.
“When you reflect on Raducanu’s clay-court season so far, I think it’s been very, very positive. The clay courts at Roland Garros are the truest and best clay courts, where you can take the ball early, and that will suit Emma even more.
“Her game is moving in the right direction. I think she’s around 42 in the live rankings. A number in the back of my mind is 32 pre-Wimbledon. Can she get to be seeded and have that protection in the early rounds on grass?”
Henman pointed out that The French Open courts will likely suit Raducanu’s style much more. The heavy nature of the Rome surface made it difficult for the former US Open champion to assert her game on Gauff.
“Emma looked over in our direction and said, ‘it’s so heavy!’ For me the biggest area of difference between Raducanu and Gauff is the explosive speed out from the corners. Raducanu didn’t look as comfortable,” Henman added.
“It was a great performance from Gauff. There’s a lot to build on for Raducanu.”
Raducanu had reached the fourth round with victories over Maya Joint, Jil Teichmann and Veronika Kudermetova. Her wins in Rome followed a Madrid Open campaign in which she was beaten in the second round by World No. 27 Marta Kostyuk.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk