Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey has expressed confidence in Emma Raducanu’s future in tennis. He believes the Brit is set to display her true potential and secure multiple Grand Slams in the 2025 season.
Raducanu secured her maiden Major at the 2021 US Open, triumphing over Leylah Fernandez with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. However, her form has since faltered, and she has yet to capture another title following that breakthrough achievement.
In a recent interview with Betway, Petchey heaped praise on Raducanu, saying the 22-year-old is “too good not to succeed.”
“The harder you work, the easier it becomes when you play tennis matches,” Petchey said. “When you know you’ve put in the work the matches become ‘easier’ because your practice sessions should be arguably harder than the matches themselves.”
“Emma is too good in my opinion not to succeed. She’s too athletic. She’s too motivated when she’s in between the lines. I think sometimes there have been a few times when she hasn’t been as prepared as she would like to be,” he added.
Defying the critics who label her a ‘one-slam wonder,’ Petchey expressed a strong belief in Emma Raducanu’s potential, sharing his hope to see her win the Australian Open.
“I’ll never limit her potential. I genuinely believe she’ll win multiple Majors before the end of her career. I think it’s a stretch to say that she could win the Australian Open, but I also don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility,” the former tennis pro said.
He added:
“All I know is that if she’s been healthy and she’s got enough matches under her belt heading into Australia and she gets a favorable draw she’ll have an opportunity to challenge for the title. Obviously, a more realistic goal right now would be reaching the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.”
Raducanu’s 2024 season was far from impressive in terms of Grand Slam success. Her best showing came at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round before being defeated by Lulu Sun.
“Nobody out there going to enjoy playing Emma Raducanu when she’s fully fit” – Mark Petchey
During the interview with Betway, Mark Petchey continued to shower praise on Emma Raducanu, saying if the Brit works hard and stays fully fit, no one will dare underestimate her on the court.
“I have 100 percent confidence she will do the work in the off-season. There’s nobody out there that’s going to enjoy playing Emma when she’s fully fit and fully motivated,” he said.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to sit here and say to you that she’s going to be pushing a lot of the top 10 players consistently over the next twelve months,” he added.
Petchey continued:
“I want her to have longevity in the sport. I don’t want her out of the sport at 26 or 27. Her team should be looking at how they manage her from here on in for another fifteen years of playing this sport if that’s what she wants to do. I think she’s well placed to do that.”
Raducanu sustained a foot injury at the Korea Open in September but made her return to tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup. She is now set to kick off her 2025 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
