Emma Raducanu is finding out just how much tennis is a “brutal sport” following her latest defeat on the WTA Tour. After her historic win at the US Open last year, high expectations were placed on Raducanu to kick on and take the WTA Tour by storm.
But it’s been a struggle for the young British talent to build up any rhythm at the start of 2022 so far. Raducanu’s preparation for the new year was disrupted after she tested positive for Covid, but since returning she’s not been able to build a deep run at any event so far.
She succumbed to Danka Kovinic at the Australian Open before being forced to withdraw against Daria Saville at the Guadalajara Open. After taking a few weeks off, she returned to action at Indian Wells where she once again failed to get past the second round.
And it was another disappointing defeat on Thursday as Raducanu lost in three sets to Katerina Siniakova. Raducanu was serving for the match in the third set, but the world No 13 appeared to run out of steam in the end.
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“It’s an unbelievably tough loss for Emma,” Henman said on Amazon Prime. “She did everything but win the match and the quality from both women was fantastic.
“Everyone is going to compare the way she played at the US Open to here, but I think she played just as well as she did in New York. The reality is all the big points and big games, she managed to win in New York. It hasn’t happened here, but that’s why this is such a brutal sport.
“It’s a massive learning curve for Raducanu, but there are still so many positives to take from this match.”
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