
Former world number one Justine Henin says Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open victory was “the best and worst thing” that could have occurred to the young Briton.
Raducanu rose to international prominence as the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam, with her victory in New York catapulting the teenager to the top of the athletic world.
As Raducanu rose to prominence in sports, she received lavish sponsorship deals, but following up on her US Open victory was always going to be difficult.
As Raducanu starts a new tennis year, there are still so many doubts surrounding her, with injuries and long spells away from the court adding to the cloud of mystery around the 22-year-old.
Now Henin has joined the Raducanu debate, as the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion reflected on a story that has been laced with challenges.
Speaking at a Eurosport event, Belgian great Henin suggested the challenges Raducanu faces have been predictable after her US Open success, as she struggled to predict what comes next.
“The way Radacanu’s career started was huge and after that you have to deal with so many things,” stated Henin. “I like the way she plays but when you win like this so early in your development, it brings so many expectations.
“When you win like this so early – it appears like it has come early in her development – you come on the tour and have plenty of things to learn.
“When you win Grand Slams it comes with so much expectation and maybe she wasn’t ready for it. It was exceptional – it was so exciting to see her win. And also to have Leylah Fernandez in the final, it was a fresh US Open and it was huge. We loved it. But we could also have expected that it would not be so easy afterwards.”
Henin believes Raducanu’s rapid rise to the top did not allow her time to develop her game on the WTA Tour, with 2025 now a crucial year in the development of a player who broke back into the top 60 of the WTA Rankings last year despite limited time on court.
“There are things that she needs time to integrate into her game, and she has not been afforded the time to integrate them,” she added. “We will see. She is, of course, very young and still has a lot of things to learn.
“I’m not saying it can’t happen for her anymore but I don’t think winning a Grand Slam was the best thing nor was it the worst thing for her.
“You want to do it again – I’m sure she has this ambition. But the journey is very long to play in the first draws and compete. We will see.”
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash was equally confused by what to expect from Raducanu, as he suggested the young Brit still has plenty of questions to answer.
“It’s been interesting to watch her play. She has certainly got the talent to compete at the top level,” Cash told Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador for the Bank of China Hong Kong Open 2025.
“She has had some issues with her forehand from time to time and maybe the stress of it all contributed to those injuries.
“She’s had half a decent year when she was able to play matches, but we have an opportunity here for a player like Emma to come through.
“On both the men’s and women’s side of the draws, we have one or two players right at the top who have separated themselves, but there is a gap below that and players can come through to the latter stages of tournaments.
“You just have to hope Raducanu stays fit and can get matches under her belt because she certainly has the talent to do very well.”