Emma Raducanu’s Grand Slam Glory Sees a Bizarre ‘Handicap’ Twist as Martina Navratilova Delves Into It

British tennis star Emma Raducanu is still looking to find back her rhythm and confidence after missing out most of the 2023 season due to surgeries on both wrists and one ankle. However, her performance against Aryna Sabalenka in the R32 of the Indian Wells forced the world number 2 to heap praise on the 21YO. Now, American tennis legend Martina Navratilova has come up with a bizarre take on Raducanu’s US Open glory.

Emma Raducanu made the headlines by winning the 2021 US Open at the age of just 18. But after that, there have been a series of failures, injuries, and frequent changes in her coaching team. This has resulted in a drastic fall in her performance curve. Martina Navratilova says it was a mix of good and bad news for the Brit in the years since her stellar victory at the US Open.

‘It wasn’t a fluke’ – Martina Navratilova on Emma Raducanu’s journey so far

Emma Raducanu is still yet to defeat a Top 10 opponent in her career. Martina Navratilova recently gave an interview to Gigi Salmon on Sky Sports. In the interview, she stated enormous pressure to be one of the reasons for Raducanu’s downfall. “It was amazing when she won but it’s become a handicap because the expectations have gone sky-high,“ said Martina Navratilova.

She further went on to add, “It wasn’t a fluke because Emma has got that level. It wasn’t just she played great tennis and then all of a sudden she can’t play. But the pressure that’s been on her since then – particularly being a Brit – you can’t get away from it.“ Navratilova feels it to be a big burden to carry and hopes Emma Raducanu will soon make her way back to the top level yet again. But for that, she needs to stay fit.

The tennis legend said that winning matches will boost her confidence for the rest of the season. “It’s a nasty Catch-22 where you can win with confidence but you can’t have confidence without winning,“ added Navratilova. But what does Emma Raducanu think about her target for the 2024 season?

‘Patience is a big thing’ – Raducanu

Emma Raducanu is currently placed at the 288 spot in the women’s singles ranking. So the first target for her would surely be to get into the Top 100. She previously said, “If you would have said to me last year, Emma, what is your goal for the year? I’d be like, Okay, I want to win one round in the main draw of a Grand Slam.”

She reached the second round at the AO this year and she believes that this could’ve been a really big thing to even think for her last year. Especially after what she had gone through over the past few months.

She further added, “Yeah, what might be a poor result now in people’s eyes to me would have been a positive thing. I think I need to keep reminding yourself of that, not getting sucked in, I feel like now people are starting to realize it’s going to take some time for her to settle in. I feel like patience is a big thing.”

Emma Raducanu believes if she somehow manages to settle in and go through all these highs and lows, she’ll definitely find some sort of equilibrium to carry forward for the rest of the season. What are your thoughts on her journey so far?

READ MORE: ‘Had 3 Surgeries in 10 Days’; Emma Raducanu’s Most Vulnerable Period of Her Career Disclosed in a Heartbreaking Admission