When Emma Raducanu retired in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, opinions couldn't have been more divided. Most of the critique and judgment surrounding her withdrawal focused on the burgeoning athlete's inability to cope when the going got tough.
In fact, John McEnroe was on air at the time of her walkover against Ajla Tomljanović and was perhaps the chief architect of the narrative that developed. It should be stressed that McEnroe made his points eloquently and it was only when others began adding their voices to the noise that the dialogue began to turn a little nasty. The discussion became naturally heated, with some very outspoken figures rising in Raducanu's defense (lest we forget Judy Murray's surprise appearance in the debate), and people were all fired up with disagreement.
Luckily, the conversation naturally fizzled out in the wake of other news developments and Raducanu proved herself as a fierce contender in the next competition, silencing many of her emboldened critics.
Due to medical reasons, Emma Raducanu has retired from this match - but what an incredible run to the fourth round it was 💚 💜#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/fmp6M0twDw
- Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2021
With that said, even Raducanu's most ardent supporter would have had doubts about her temperament going into the US Open. Punters and pundits couldn't quite help but question her readiness: could she handle the pressures of other Grand Slam tournaments if Wimbledon looked to be too much?
Emma Raducanu made a big decision.
Intriguingly, it seemed as if Raducanu had her own doubts too, which is perhaps the reason she decided to change coaches after Wimbledon. It was a surprising decision considering how well the 18-year-old had done to reach the Round of 16. However, in a bold move, Raducanu turned to Andrew Richardson, the man who had initially coached her seven years ago, when it first became apparent she was going to be a star.
Letting Nigel Sears go was a tough decision, but Raducanu was after more than just expert coaching during her first trip to the US Open. Indeed, the athlete wanted a familiar face in her corner and a coach who could relax her whilst she was far away from home. Before the final, the 18-year-old said of Richardson's influence:
If I'm getting intense or too fired up or expect too much from myself, he's very, very good at just relaxing me and reassuring me.
We can, of course, now say that bringing Richardson on board was a masterstroke after Raducanu won the US Open in an emphatic fashion. Crucially, there were no signs of any fear or being unable to deal with the pressure of being on tennis' biggest stage. Now, regardless of whether you believe that Raducanu couldn't take the heat at Wimbledon or not, she should be given huge praise for being proactive about addressing potential problems that could occur during the playing of the US Open by turning to a coach to help her settle the nerves.
Furthermore, Richardson's soothing influence was evident in how grounded the 18-year-old was and how much she benefitted from a soothing voice in her corner. In many ways, it does feel as if Emma Raducanu has found the winning formula at the very start of her career and the latest tennis betting for the 2022 Australian Open reflects that with Raducanu at only 7/1 outright odds to win back-to-back Grand Slams.
A dream come true for @EmmaRaducanu 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gAYrRBlh4t
- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2021
The long and short of it is that tennis' new global sensation has arrived. Indeed, Raducanu's talent was never in doubt. Now that she's conquered the US Open in tremendous form, there may be no stopping this phenomenal individual.
