Tim Henman weighs in on Emma Raducanu criticism with direct message for former US Open champion

Tim Henman has advised Emma Raducanu to disregard the criticism about her choice to not participate in the qualifiers in Toronto or Cincinnati. He hopes that his fellow countrywoman will maintain her gradual climb in the rankings.

The winner of the 2021 US Open has been working hard to make a comeback this year after being sidelined for most of 2023 due to surgeries.

After falling out of the top 300 rankings last year, she has been steadily climbing her way back up.

Raducanu has been noticeably happier this year, especially in the last few months as her performances and results have started to improve.

Nevertheless, Raducanu did not receive a free pass to participate in either tournament and chose not to compete in the preliminary rounds.

That choice caused surprise among some, with former Olympic champion Monica Puig being one of those to indicate that the 21-year-old had made an error.

However, Henman has come to the aid of his fellow countrywoman and believes she will see positive results in the coming year.

Henman mentioned on Sky Sports that not being granted a wildcard for Cincinnati did not have a huge impact on her. He pointed out that she has already played a lot of tennis matches this year and is currently ranking in the top 50.

"She should keep up the good work and capitalize on the momentum she's gained. Every time she's been on the court, she's shown incredible skill, so there will be more chances for her to shine."

I believe it can be quite disheartening if she doesn't make it into those tournaments, but with a little more time – around three to six months – she will qualify for the biggest and most prestigious events on her own. As a result, her ranking will keep improving steadily.

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Emma Raducanu has only competed in one tournament on hard courts before the US Open.

She has performed excellently on hard courts, she has excelled on clay and grass courts, so there will be many more chances in the future.

Raducanu will start her journey at the US Open by facing Sofia Kenin in the opening round tonight.

If the 21-year-old continues to improve, she will probably have a more challenging match against No 6 seed Jessica Pegula in the next round.