“When is she gonna get and stay healthy?” – Roger Federer’s former coach, Paul Annacone, recently raised an alarm over Emma Raducanu’s persistent struggles with injuries. It has been almost 1116 days since she last won a major title. Emma Raducanu was touted as the next big thing in women’s tennis.
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However, frequent injuries and lack of form have pushed her far away from her tennis goals. Although she made quite a few deep runs in her previous tournaments this year, Raducanu was forced to retire from her QF match at the Korea Open due to a sprain. Renowned strength and conditioning coach, Kieron Vorster, has now also spoken about this massive downfall of Raducanu.
“From Hero to Zero” – that’s how he has explained Emma Raducanu’s career! However, now many opine that her body is not yet ready for the relentless demands of the WTA Tour! Vorster has been the strength and conditioning coach to players like Tim Henman, Dan Evans, Wayne Ferreira, and many more. What according to him is the right cause behind Emma Raducanu’s constant struggle? According to Vorster, Raducanu, “just doesn’t play enough matches.” He strongly feels her light schedule is one of the major reasons for her physical issues.
Kieron Vorster further added that he feels Emma Raducanu’s fairytale run at the 2021 US Open was something more like a curse in disguise to her than anything else.
“It was an unbelievable achievement for her to win the US Open but sometimes I think that could have been the thorn in her side, a poisoned chalice because she went from hero to zero to hero and now she just doesn’t understand what it takes,” said Vorster.
Raducanu is now 21 years old and has won just 1 title in her career so far! She has seen a lot of ups and downs over six years in her professional tennis career. Emma Raducanu has been time and again criticized for her lack of consistency. How does she manage to handle all of these, though?
“I’ve learned that life is full of twists and turns, but it’s how you navigate those moments that define you. As an athlete, that is never truer than when you are injured and facing criticism. It can feel like a constant uphill battle, but you can view it as either an obstacle or an opportunity to grow,” Raducanu stated.
She has even highlighted the importance of her family and support team in making her resilient to face various life challenges.
Kieron Vorster feels a lot of “yes people” may surround Emma Raducanu
Previously we heard Emma Raducanu say, “I’m very lucky to have such an amazing support system that I can turn to in both moments of success and uncertainty to help me stay strong, both physically and mentally, no matter what life throws my way.” She strongly believes with the support of her team and her family, she has the chance to succeed in anything she puts in her mind. However, does that “support” means having people who say “yes” to everything rather than telling her what she doesn’t want to hear? We don’t know!
According to Kieron Vorster, “I think there could potentially be a lot of ‘yes‘ people around her, instead of people telling her what she doesn’t want to hear, ‘You know what, Emma, you need to get out there and play‘. She’s a good player. That’s not the issue. But this abbreviated schedule is just mind-blowing. There’s too many people around her.”
The frustration in Vorster’s voice is pretty clear, but what would be her advice to make things perfect for Emma Raducanu?
Vorster’s advice to Raducanu at the moment was to take a leaf out of Andy Murray’s play book and put in a brutal pre-season training camp. “The first thing I would do is take her somewhere hot with no distractions and do a six-week training block. Take away home comforts and luxuries. Do something different that will kick-start the year.”
He wants her to take the example of Murray who made sacrifices year after year by training in the heat in Miami. Then, coming back for a day or two for Christmas before yet again taking his flight to Australia. What are your thoughts on his suggestions to Emma Raducanu?