Former British tennis star Mark Petchey has outlined fresh concerns over Emma Raducanu’s game despite her reaching the third round of the Australian Open.
The 2021 US Open champion showed flashes of form Down Under after again being disrupted by injury in the build-up to the tournament, but has since crashed out at the first hurdle of the Singapore Open.
Petchey, who previously worked as a coach with Andy Murray, has long publicly backed the 22-year-old despite her struggles ever since her remarkable success at Flushing Meadows.
But despite the 54-year-old rejecting suggestions that the physical and mental side of her game is still lacking, he does believe her overall game has regressed.
“For the first time, I would say that when I watched her in Australia and she got through to the third round, I didn’t really like her tennis,” he told JeffBet. “And that’s the first time I could honestly say that.
“Emma’s serve from round one looked a little awkward and I’ve never thought that about her game ever. That would be my biggest concern. I’m not ever concerned about her athleticism. I know she’s a great athlete.
“It very quickly becomes quite a mental thing to overcome because if you lose confidence, particularly in your serve, it can become sort of terminal. It is the most important shot in men’s and women’s tennis and you don’t want to lose confidence in that for too long.”
Last year, Raducanu made it through to the last-16 of Wimbledon, signifying her best run in a Slam since her very own ‘Fairytale of New York’. However, her maiden Grand Slam remains her only career title, and Petchey believes returning to what worked for her in America could now be key to future success.
He also encouraged his compatriot to learn lessons from her harrowing defeat to Iga Swiatek down under. Raducanu claimed just one game against the world No.2, and the gap in class was obvious as the Pole cruised through.
“If I was Emma, I would go back and watch 2021 and I would try and recreate it personally with the forehand and backhand,” he added. “I haven’t seen any gains from a technical point during the rallies and I’m sure she may disagree, but I haven’t really seen it.
“Once she got on the court against Iga, it was a case that Iga played well and she didn’t play well, but I hope she’s not telling herself the reason that she didn’t play well is purely down to a bad day at the office. There’s some stuff there that I think needs to get worked out.”
Raducanu has this week confirmed she will compete in the qualifying rounds at the Abu Dhabi Open after accepting a wildcard. It will be the first time the Canadian-born star, who this month split with coach Nick Cavaday, will enter qualifiers for a WTA Tour event.
