Emma Raducanu urged to learn from Roger Federer amid worrying career slide

Emma Raducanu has been urged to take a leaf out of Roger Federer’s book as questions continue to swirl around her fitness, consistency and long-term future on the WTA Tour. Former British No.1 Greg Rusedski believes the 2021 US Open champion needs greater continuity in her training and support system if she is to halt a worrying slide that has seen injuries repeatedly derail her progress.

Raducanu’s triumph in New York five years ago remains one of the most remarkable stories in modern tennis. The Briton became the first qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title, storming to the US Open crown without dropping a set. Yet, despite the promise she showed as an 18-year-old, she is still waiting to add a second title to her collection.

The 23-year-old’s career has been interrupted by a succession of injuries and frequent changes within her coaching team, making it difficult for her to build momentum on the tour.

Speaking on the Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, the former US Open finalist stressed the importance of maintaining consistency away from competition.

“It depends on how you’re training, how you’re loading, what’s happening. I don’t have enough information, but all I know is we have a lot of talented players in Britain and we need to find a way to keep them healthy.

“Also, consistency of team helps, consistency of training. You can’t take long periods of time off. Even when you’re on holiday, you still need to hit balls. You still need to go to the gym. You need to keep it going because stop starting,” Rusedski said.

FEDERER’S EXAMPLE AND RADUCANU’S FITNESS CONCERNS

Rusedski pointed to Federer’s professionalism and dedication during the peak of his career, arguing that elite players must maintain their routines even during breaks from the circuit.

“I remember when Roger Federer was at the peak of his powers and he was still hitting tennis balls when he went on holiday with his family. That’s what you need to do,” Rusedski added.

The 52-year-old suggested that Raducanu’s body has struggled to cope with the physical demands of playing consecutive matches, particularly after her impressive run to the final at Queen’s earlier this summer.

“You need the same approach as the pros. And you have to get that sort of impact and volume. And for Emma at Queen’s, the problem was she’s played so many back-to-back matches.

“So she wasn’t trained for her body to be able to do that. You can say it’s bad luck, but you have to be prepared sometimes to play two matches in a day and maybe back-to-back two matches.”

RADUCANU’S GRAND SLAM DISAPPOINTMENT CONTINUES

Raducanu’s recent Grand Slam performances have done little to silence concerns over her trajectory. At the French Open, she suffered a shock first-round exit after losing to Argentina’s Solana Sierra in straight sets.

Her grass-court season initially appeared more encouraging as she reached the final at Queen’s, only for injury problems to strike once again. Raducanu was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament after scans revealed that a lingering leg issue had developed into a stress fracture.

Rusedski admitted that the recurring injury problems affecting British players have become a cause for concern.

“I just wish her well. I want to see her healthy. I want to see all our Brits healthy and going in the right direction. But you’ve got to have a look at the sports science behind it as well because something is not right when we have this many of them injured all the time.”

For Raducanu, the challenge now extends beyond simply regaining fitness. Five years after conquering Flushing Meadows, she remains in search of the consistency that once made her one of tennis’s brightest stars.

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