Emma Raducanu’s agent is confident that she will continue to build on her remarkable 2021 US Open victory despite facing criticism.
The British tennis star has struggled to advance past the third round of a Grand Slam event since her triumph at Flushing Meadows.
This can be attributed to a series of injuries, particularly wrist problems, that have kept her sidelined for much of 2023.
Consequently, Raducanu has dropped out of the top 250 in the world rankings, leading to increased scrutiny from her detractors.
However, her agent, Max Eisenbud, believes that Raducanu deserves time to regain her form and reach her full potential.
“The girl did everything backward,” he told Andy Roddick‘s ‘Served’ podcast. “She skipped every step!
“She won the US Open, she went to the next tournament, she didn’t even know where the player lounge was, she didn’t know where the practice courts were.
“I don’t think just being tough on her or critical on her like any other player [is wrong]. But she is still figuring it out. I just think that people should not be malicious.”
Raducanu has faced criticism for frequently changing coaches. Andrew Richardson helped her win the US Open, but they split up soon after.
She has also worked with Nigel Sears, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs since making a name for herself at Wimbledon in 2021.
Before the 2024 season, the 21-year-old reunited with her childhood mentor Nick Cavaday. Eisenbud wishes Raducanu would stick with one coaching team, but ultimately, the decision is not his to make.
He added: “As the agent, do I necessarily agree with it? I don’t. But it seems to work for her.
“And as the agent we can only try to recommend and say, ‘Hey, this one did it this way.’ But they [the family] seem to be very comfortable in the way they are doing it and I have to respect that.
“Maybe that changes and maybe it doesn’t. But she really is a hard worker. And tennis is her priority. Yes, people want to see that she does other things. But the way I see her work and how smart she is, I believe she’ll win more slams.”
