"I know how hard Emma Raducanu's worked over the last 8 or 9 months since her surgery; for the next 6 months, results don't matter" - Laura Robson
Laura Robson has opined that results should not matter for Emma Raducanu for the next six months, given the hard work that she has put in post-surgery.
The 21-year-old underwent procedures on both hands and her ankle and had been out of action since April 2023 before returning to the court at the Auckland Classic.
Robson asserted that remaining pain-free and healthy was important for Raducanu after the latter needed crutches, a wrist cast, and an ankle boot following surgery.
"I know how hard she's worked over the last, probably eight or nine months since her surgery, and to have all of those things done at one time, she was out of action, she was on crutches and she had a wrist cast on, she had an ankle boot on," Robson was quoted as saying by Eurosport.
The 29-year-old tennis expert stated that she was happy for Raducanu following her battles with injuries in the past.
“I'm just really happy for her. As someone who's really struggled with injuries in the past, to see her really shine again on the court and be pain free, that's the most important thing. For the next six months at least, I really think the results don't matter as long as she's healthy," she added.
At Auckland, Emma Raducanu made a winning start by getting the better of Elena-Gabriela Ruse but lost to Elina Svitolina after having won the opening set.
Nick Cavaday to coach Emma Raducanu ahead of 2024 Australian Open
Emma Raducanu, who has parted ways with several of her coaches including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs since 2021, has pinned her hopes on Nick Cavaday ahead of the 2024 Australian Open.
Raducanu, who first worked with Cavaday when she was a 10-year-old, trained with the British coach at the National Tennis Centre in London before arriving in Australia.
The Ontario-born player, who was set to play a charity match against Naomi Osaka which has since been canceled, will be in action at the Kooyong Classic which is scheduled to begin on January 10.
Nick Cavaday, who was the head coach at the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) Loughborough Academy, will be joining Emma Raducanu who last played a Grand Slam at the Australian Open last year.
Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open under the tutelage of Andrew Robinson after beginning her professional tennis journey with Nigel Sears, has had short stints with a number of coaches since.
The Briton split with Torben Beltz ahead of the 2022 Madrid Open before Dmitry Tursunov opted not to continue being part of Raducanu's team in October of the same year.