Ronnie O'Sullivan urges Emma Raducanu to hire a sports psychologist, says there's "a lot of pressure" on the US Open champion
In a recent interview with Eurosport, six-time world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan urged Emma Raducanu to hire a sports psychologist. O'Sullivan, who last lifted the world title in 2020, said he was "worried" about the 18-year-old, who, according to him, seems to be under "a lot of pressure."
The 45-year-old praised Raducanu's on-court skills, but was quick to add that the youngster could use some help handling the pressure that comes with expectations.
"I am watching Emma Raducanu and I am really worried as there seems to be a lot of pressure on her," O’Sullivan said.
"Emma Raducanu does not need to be told how to hit a tennis ball, sometimes you just need someone to tune in to you and handle the pressure," he conitnued. "The difficult part is getting out there in a good frame of mind and dealing with the pressures that come with expectation."
O'Sullivan suggested the name of renowned sports psycholigist Steve Peters, saying that he was the best person for Raducanu to work with.
The Brit, who has often acknowledged the role Peters has had in his success, recalled the time when the sports psychologist helped him cope with stage fright at one of the World Championships.
"I love this Emma Raducanu," O'Sullivan said, "I just think she should get Steve Peters on board, it’s the best signing you could ever do.”
"I have had stage fright at the World Championship: 15-10 up in the final and I can’t go out there," O'Sullivan revealed. "I’ve had to call Steve Peters, and he’s just left me 10 minutes ago. He gives me sleep therapy sometimes, and sometimes we talk through it," he added.
Emma Raducanu set to make her top 20 debut
Emma Raducanu's run to the quarterfinals at the Transylvania Open last month saw her rise to a career-high world ranking of No. 21. With Olympic champion Belinda Bencic set to drop a bunch of points this week, the Brit will make her top 20 debut when the rankings are updated on Monday.
Raducanu will have an opportunity to further improve her ranking at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open, scheduled to be played between November 6-12. Raducanu will be the top seed at the WTA 250 event, which will also feature the likes of Simona Halep, Danielle Collins and Veronika Kudermetova.