US tennis star Andy Roddick feels that he wants to see Emma Raducanu being more consistent as she looks to take the next step in her career after winning the historic US Open this year. Roddick explains how dealing with expectations is one of the major aspects of tennis and that is why the youngster has faced such harsh criticisms in tournaments post her US Open win.
Raducanu won the US Open and took the tennis world by surprise. She was the first ever tennis player to win a Major from being a qualifier. She also achieved this feat without dropping a set made her achievement even more impressive.
The teenager has struggled to find that level of form since her US Open win as she lost her opening matches at the BNP Paribas Open and the Linz Open. She could only manage to reach the quarterfinals at the Translynvania Open in Romania.
The former US tennis star Andy Roddick shared his opinions on Raducanu on Tennis Channel. The 2003 US Open winner pointed out how difficult it is to keep up with the expectations after winning a Grand Slam. He highlights how her US Open title came to her because she was playing with a nothing to lose attitude. It is the pressure that makes things worse for any athlete.
“The hardest thing in sport in my opinion is expectation,” Andy Roddick told Tennis Channel.
“What she did at the US Open was unbelievable but it was largely without the expectation of ‘if you don’t win this final it’s bad for you’. It was all gravy from the third round on for her, without taking anything from her,” Roddick added.
The 39-year-old feels that Rqaducanu should take it slow and gradually prove her doubters wrong. He feels that the British youngster should first gain consistency and prove that she can handle pressure with ease.
“It is a different type of pressure set now. What I want to see is those consistent weeks where she is winning three or four matches every week,” Roddick said.
Roddick also pointed out how Raducanu’s new coach Torben Beltz will also have a big role in helping her cruise through for the upcoming matches. He feels that the first challenge for her new coach will be to get consistent performances out of her and then they can gradually build on it.
