Emma Raducanu is “overwhelmed” by the pressure to be a Grand Slam winner, says tennis legend John McEnroe after leaving the French Open … criticizing the “incredible” decision to change coach after winning the U.S. Open.
- John McEnroe says Grand Slam glory has left Emma Raducanu “overwhelmed”
- Tennis legend McEnroe believes Raducanu is unable to cope with this new pressure
- Raducanu suffered his second straight defeat in the second round of the Grand Slam
- The British No. 1 lost 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 to Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Paris
- McEnroe has criticized Raducanu for changing coaches “three, four or five times”
- His “coaching revolving door” surprised the seven-time Grand Slam winner
By Dominic Hogan for Mailonline
Posted: 19:32, 25 May 2022 | Updated: 8:01 PM, May 25, 2022
Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe has claimed that the pressure of being a big winner seems to have “overwhelmed” British number one Emma Raducanu.
The 19-year-old Briton was defeated on Wednesday in the second round of the French Open by world No. 49 Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 28, of Belarus.
This is Raducanu’s second straight start to the second round of a Grand Slam as he struggles to replicate the heroism that earned him an impressive victory at the US Open in 2021.
Emma Raducanu lost in the second round of the French and Australian Open in 2022
Raducanu became the first player in history to win a Grand Slam after starting as a qualifier
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McEnroe told Eurosport: “We need to keep some perspective here.
“At Wimbledon last year she couldn’t finish a game because of stress and it was too much for her.
“Then he came out and did something that no one has ever done, man or woman, in 150 years of tennis, since qualifying and winning.
“Suddenly, there’s this pressure on her, this expectation, which has also become a little overwhelming.”
John McEnroe won three Wimbledon and four US Open titles before retiring in 1994
It’s easy to forget that Raducanu is only 19 years old, having achieved the highest honor in tennis in such a dramatic way that he became the first to win a Grand Slam last year.
He now ranks 12th in the world, has struggled for form as a result of continued back injuries and has accepted the new stardom he has been given, both on and off the track.
But she has also been openly intent on trying to find the right coach for her, and her status as one of the game’s elite, coupled with her young age, makes it much harder to find. a coach adapted to these two needs.
Raducanu struggled to build a strong starting set before losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich
McEnroe added: “He has changed coach three, four or five times, which is amazing for someone who has just won a major.
“She’s been in a difficult position because a lot is expected of her and with the people around her, we’re not sure if she’s still comfortable with them. Hopefully in the next year or two she’ll find it.
“Honestly, if I won the U.S. Open after passing the qualifying, I wouldn’t change coach at least next year, so I don’t understand that move.
“Obviously, her parents are involved and they know more than I do.
The world number 12 made his debut at the French Open by beating Linda Noskova in the first round
“But I don’t think this idea of a coaching revolver is good for any player, much less for a player at this stage of his career.
“We have to wait and see and we hope he finds someone with whom he can stay for a while.”
While he knows he has enough time to find the right fit, he will have to recover quickly if he wants to improve on recent performances in front of the local Wimbledon crowd.
After retiring due to a reported illness in the fourth round of last year’s tournament, he will desperately want to prove McEnroe wrong and show that he can withstand the pressure that his U.S. Open title United led.
Watch all Roland-Garros matches live and exclusively on Discovery + and Eurosport