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Former world No. 1 Boris Becker doesn't seem to be a firm believer in Emma Raducanu anymore as he noted that constantly losing in early rounds is a worrisome sign. Raducanu, 19, made all the headlines when she became the first qualifier in tennis history to win a Grand Slam.
Raducanu went from a promising teenager to a tennis superstar overnight and massive expectations had been placed on her following her US Open victory. Seven months have passed since Raducanu won the US Open and she has yet to make a notable result.
Raducanu has yet to clinch back-to-back wins this year as her season has been highlighted by early round exits.t “The honeymoon phase is over, and the Brits are starting to worry,” Becker told Eurosport’s Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast.
“You can lose, but if you’re always eliminated in the first or second round after winning the US Open, you ask yourself. How is that possible now?” “Emma won’t win every tournament, but you can always expect semi-finals plus or minus, but she’s miles away from that at the moment”.
Becker fears Raducanu will start doubting herself
Entering this week, Raducanu had three wins and six losses. On Wednesday, Raducanu defeated Storm Sanders in her Stuttgart opener to reach the second round. “Everything is much more difficult than it looks from the outside.
Especially with the psyche,” Becker said. “How do you deal with the pressure? How do you deal with your own expectations? What are you doing differently now than before?” Becker added it is “unusual that such a young, talented girl, who rose to the top of the world overnight and achieved world fame, has since only won matches that can be counted on one hand." Raducanu has landed several lucrative sponsorship and endorsement deals following her US Open victory.
Recently, Raducanu defended herself from criticism, saying that nothing has changed in her approach to tennis and that she is still fully committed and dedicated to the game.
