John McEnroe hopes that Emma Raducanu will be able to find the right formula to thrive again, although she must grow in the limelight.
“She’s trying to grow up in front of the world and in front of people,” McEnroe said. “And that can be difficult. That [the 2021 US Open triumph] happened so fast. I don’t know if anyone could have expected that to happen. “
Raducanu continues to recover from a side injury he suffered in Nottingham in his first race from a short grass swing. She withdrew from her scheduled tournament next week and has not played since. However, she trained at Wimbledon on Monday.
“This is the future of our game. And people are looking at what role Emma will play in that, “McEnroe said. “So, obviously, there is a high level of interest. So I think it would obviously be good for her and her family and for the sport to find something as soon as possible to make her feel more relaxed and able to do her thing.
Last year at Wimbledon, McEnroe received intense criticism for his professionalism after Raducanu’s withdrawal in the fourth round against Ayla Tomlyanovich. After her retirement, he suggested that her departure, which was officially described as breathing problems, was due to pressure. The 63-year-old says he would not say anything different.
“I just gave an educated guess as to what I thought was happening, based on 45 years in the professional game,” he said. “And what seemed to be happening, which is completely, you know, happening all the time. It’s not like she’s the first person to have this happen to her. Maybe this is the first person she’s been told, for some reason, not to keep playing. That could be the difference. “
After Andy Murray’s run to the final in Stuttgart, McEnroe expressed his astonishment at the level that the Scotsman managed to show despite his metal thigh. “I know it must have been difficult for him in many ways to watch these guys keep piling up records where he basically couldn’t play at all. I am not a doctor. I’m amazed that it moves as well as it does. If you have a metal thigh, it will tell me that you will not move, that you will be more rigid, that you cannot react so quickly. I just don’t see how it’s possible. “
Wimbledon will play without points in the standings, after the ATP and WTA chose to cancel them in response to the ban of the All England Club for Russian and Belarusian players. McEnroe reiterated his popular view of the tour, saying he opposed both Wimbledon’s initial decision and the tour’s response. He also noted the effect it could have on Novak Djokovic.
Andy Murray was injured in the final of the Stuttgart Open in 2022. Photo: Bernd Wei’brod / AP
“It simply came to our notice then. Part of that, he made that decision and will have to live with it. And he seems to be hell-bent on this decision. But to be deported from Australia, to go to Wimbledon and then work and then you have no points [if] you win it again and you fall places in the rankings. It just looks crazy. ”
Meanwhile, the ATP announced on Tuesday that it will try out an out-of-court coach after Wimbledon. This will allow, among other things, coaches to train their players orally when they are on the same side of the field. Hand signals will now be enabled at all times. The WTA has adopted similar rules in the last two years.
John McEnroe is part of the BBC’s 2022 Wimbledon squad. Watch the whole action on BBC TV, radio and online from Monday, June 27.
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