Emma Raducanu is going to become a "multiple Grand Slam champion" and her future is going to be "incredible" says former British men's No 1, Greg Rusedski; the broadcaster would also like to see Australian Darren Cahill become her next coach, saying he's got the "pedigree"
Saturday 6 November 2021 17:16, UK
"Just enjoy the journey. Don't put too much expectation on yourself because it's going to take time with this transition."
Former British men's No 1 Greg Rusedski feels it could take teenage sensation Emma Raducanu between nine and 18 months to adjust to the "spotlight, expectation and demands" but says her future is going to be "incredible".
The 18-year-old from Kent announced herself on the grandest stage when she claimed the US Open title as a qualifier in September.
Victory saw her become the first British woman to win a singles Grand Slam since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977 as well as break into the world's top 25 having started the year ranked 345.
Raducanu only recorded her maiden win on the WTA Tour at the Transylvania Open last week, where she reached the quarter-finals, but Rusedski believes she is destined to become a superstar.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rusedski said: "I think she's going to be a multiple Grand Slam champion. I think she has the potential to be a world No 1. What she has done in her first two majors, there's very few that have done. She got to the fourth round of Wimbledon in her first major and then she's gone on to win the US Open.
"There's only three other female players that have got to the fourth round or better in both events in their first two majors. Chris Evert, who was world No 1 and multiple Slam winner, Jennifer Capriati, world No 1 and multiple Slam winner, and Monica Seles, so she joins that category of elite superstars.
"We've never seen this in the game before, for someone to come through qualifying and go on to win a major, so her future is going to be exceptional so long as she can stay healthy, put the right team around her. I think her future is going to be incredible."
Raducanu is searching for a new coach with the young Briton currently working with Esteban Carril on a temporary basis.
The Spaniard played a huge role in masterminding Johanna Konta's rise up the rankings.
Carril might be favourite for the role but Rusedski would like to see Darren Cahill, the former coach of Andre Agassi and Simona Halep, take the job.
However, former world No 4 Rusedski admits it would be difficult to prise the Australian away from his home comforts.
"I think she's had some great coaches throughout her career and throughout her development as a player," he said. "When she got to the fourth round at Wimbledon she had one of the best coaches in the business in Nigel Sears.
"From there she moved on to Andrew Richardson who she won the US Open with, which was a phenomenal result. And even Esteban, he's a world-class coach. Let's not forget he took Jo Konta into the world's top 10 and when they were together they won the Miami Open, so it's going to be interesting to see who she appoints at the end of the season.
"There's a lot of talk about Darren Cahill, so if she could tie up with that sort of coach on a long-term basis, I think that would be a great thing. But she's got to find the right mix and the right person for herself."
Rusedski continued: "Darren has got to want to do the job. He's got his television work he enjoys doing. He's got his family and he's living in Australia these days so you've got to find a way to convince him to take it.
"Knowing Darren, he'd want a long-term commitment and that's something you look for as a coach. He's got the pedigree, he's got the CV, and he's done it all in tennis so he'd be probably at the top of the list."
"We expect Emma to be out there for at least another decade, enjoying her tennis career and enjoying her win a lot of tennis tournaments"
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Marcos Baghdatis said Raducanu must "keep on learning and evolving" with the next few years key to her tennis development and to help ensure her extraordinary surge is far from a flash in the pan.
Baghdatis' statement is something former US Open finalist Rusedski completely agrees with.
"If you look at the great champions, every year they improve, they get better and they put in the work and time," said Rusedski. "They're also smart at what they do out there and have good people around them.
"We expect Emma to be out there for at least another decade, enjoying her tennis career and enjoying her win a lot of tennis tournaments."
Greg Rusedski will be playing in the Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall, the finale of the ATP Champions Tour, between November 25-28. Tickets available at www.atpchampionstour.com/london
