Emma Raducanu is missing out on social life with only men surrounding her, believes Andy Murray's mother Judy
Andy Murray's mother Judy believes that Emma Raducanu might be missing out on having a social life due to her busy schedule and a team around her consisting of older men. However, the tennis coach also stated that it's not necessary for the player to work with a female coach.
Raducanu shot to fame at the age of just 18 when she became the only player in the history of tennis to win a Grand Slam title as a qualifier. She defeated Canada's Leylah Fernandez in the final to lift the 2021 US Open trophy, which remains her only singles title to date. A number of injuries and inconsistent form have kept her from achieving more glory.
Raducanu, who achieved a career-best ranking of No. 10 last year, has slumped to No. 77. Her current coach Sebastian Sachs is her fifth since June 2021. During a recent interview, Judy was asked whether the No. 1 British female player needed to work with a female coach for a change. The 63-year-old refused, suggesting that Raducanu was smart enough to know what she was doing.
"Not necessarily. I think she is a great young athlete, very smarthead. She loves tennis, she reads the game well," Judy said. "I think when you are young, the schedule might be pretty tough. It’s about ten and a half months of the year traveling."
"At the age of 20, if your whole team are guys and usually pretty much older guys, I think you miss out on the social side, where most of your friends are probably students, they are learning and partying."
Judy also wished for the media to let her practice in peace, away from the spotlight.
"She is a great prospect and I think now that she is kind of sitting around the 80 in the world I think that’s a good place to be at her age. Hopefully, the spotlight is off her a little bit and she can develop in more peace and quiet, although the media may have another ideas," she added.
Emma Raducanu to face Danka Kovinic in Indian Wells 2023 R1
Emma Raducanu will take on Montenegro's Danka Kovinic in the first round of the 2023 Indian Wells on Thursday, March 9. This will be the second meeting between the two players. Kovinic defeated the Brit in three sets in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open.
Emma Raducanu has had a disappointing start to the season as she suffered an ankle injury during the 2023 ASB Classic. She was then beaten by Coco Gauff in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. The 20-year-old will be hoping for a strong performance in California.