"What she did was exceptional and obviously with that comes a lot of media attention, pressure" - Caroline Wozniacki on Emma Raducanu
Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki believes Emma Raducanu's US Open triumph is a double-edged sword seeing how it places an immense amount of media scrutiny and pressure on the Brit.
Raducanu stunned the world at Flushing Meadows last year, becoming the first qualifier to win a Slam. Astonishingly, she did so without dropping a set, making her feat all the more impressive.
However, since her title win, the teenager has come to face difficult times on tour, struggling to string together wins consistently. She even changed her coach a few months ago but is still playing at a level far from what saw her win the US Open.
During a recent conversation with Tennis Channel, Wozniacki was asked to share a few words of advice for the 19-year-old.
The former Australian Open champion heaped praise on the Brit's US Open run but pointed out how winning the title brought forth a lot of pressure on the youngster's shoulders.
"I mean she's so young, she played incredibly at the US Open. I think nobody expected her to go all the way and I don't think she did either," Wozniacki said. "But what she did was exceptional and obviously with that comes a lot of media attention, pressure, sponsorships, and a lot of off-court opportunities and I think for her, she looks to be a very hard worker and just keep going and keep improving.
The Dane reckons Raducanu has a "target on her back" with players now eager to beat her to prove their credentials.
"And now people know how she's playing so it's gonna be more difficult, she has a target on her back," Wozniacki added. "But go out there and enjoy what you're doing, have fun with it and the results are gonna come no doubt."
Emma Raducanu progresses to the third round of Indian Wells 2022
Emma Raducanu beat Caroline Garcia of France 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 on Friday at Indian Wells to reach the third round. This was her first-ever win at the tournament, having been beaten in the first round on her tournament debut last year.
The 19-year-old Brit will face Croatia's Petra Martic on Sunday as both players vie for a spot in the fourth round.
Raducanu is yet to win back-to-back matches this year. She will undoubtedly be keen to rewrite that statistic when she faces Martic.