Vodafone, Official Connectivity Partner of Wimbledon, is working with Tim Henman to inspire the next generation of tennis players through Play Your Way To Wimbledon
Vodafone, Official Connectivity Partner of Wimbledon, is working with Tim Henman to inspire the next generation of tennis players through Play Your Way To Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu has come under fire for some of the decisions she has made in recent months, but former British No 1 Tim Henman has backed the 2021 US Open champion to get back to the top of the WTA Rankings.
Raducanu was criticised after she decided not to play in qualifying for the French Open in May as she suggested she wanted to focus on her grass court preparations.
That decision reaped rewards as Raducanu made it through to the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open, the quarter-finals of the Eastbourne International and the last-16 at Wimbledon.
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Those results fired Raducanu back into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings, but she was criticised again after turning down an offer to play in the Paris Olympic Games.
Again, the transition to clay courts was a factor in Raducanu’s decision and she also felt chasing ranking points on American hard courts was a better option at this stage of her young career.
Yet the 21-year-old Brit has only managed to play in one tournament in America ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year, with her run to the quarter-finals at the WTA 500 event in Washington her only event ahead of the US Open.
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Raducanu didn’t play in qualifying for the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, despite tournament organisers initially confirming she was on their entry list.
She then failed to get a wildcard into this week’s WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, leaving her worryingly short of match practice ahead of the US Open.
Yet Henman has told Tennis365 that Raducanu’s doubters need to hold their fire before criticising a player who has shown flashes of brilliance in his comeback year after she underwent surgeries on both wrists and her ankle last year.
“We just have to show some patience with Raducanu now,” Henman told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.
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“Her challenges have been well documented since she won the US Open, but the level of play she has shown this year confirms she is absolutely moving in the right direction.
“I have no doubts that she will have some big results in the future.
“When you look at her ranking and her position in the WTA Race and realise the limited number of tournaments she has played, it emphasises her quality.
“She hasn’t played a full 12 months since coming back from injury so let’s give her some time.
“If she can play for a full 12 months, she will be back in the biggest and best events and she will be seeded once again in the Grand Slams before long and she won’t have to worry about her schedule.
“She had a real chance at Wimbledon as the draw opened up, but the strength in depth in the women’s game is great now.
Henman spoke to Tennis365 at a Vodafone Play Your Way To Wimbledon event, the UK’s largest individual mass participation tennis competition which provides players with the opportunity to compete on the world-famous grass courts at Wimbledon.
For the junior players getting a chance to live out their dreams and play at Wimbledon, Henman believes Raducanu’s 2021 US Open win remains a source of great inspiration, as he also praised the efforts of the LTA, the governing body of British tennis, for helping to increase participation levels in tennis at all levels.
Emma Raducanu during a practice session at Wimbledon in 2024
Emma Raducanu looks on during a practice session at Wimbledon in 2024
“The way Raducanu came through qualifying to win the US Open was just fantastic and you can see the inspiration she provided for young players, especially in Britain,” stated Henman.
“We’ve just seen Andy Murray retire and having players like Andy and Emma inspiring our junior players is vital to bringing through the next champions.
“When you reflect on the last 25-30 years of the LTA, they have rightly had some criticism that they haven’t produced enough players on the performance side.
“Now, when you look at the strength in depth of British players, it has improved massively on both the men’s and women’s side. So that’s where they deserve a lot of credit.
“Leadership comes from the top and I think Scott Lloyd (LTA CEO) has really got a good structure in place and there is a really positive vibe about British tennis.
“Performance and participation are two different areas, but they are connected. The more people you can get to play the game, the more we have with the bat and ball in hand, it has to be a good thing.
“When you look at this Play Your Way To Wimbledon event with Vodafone, we had 15,000 players competing and that is a great number.”