Tim Henman has performed a U-turn and admitted Emma Raducanu got her US Open preparations wrong.
The former Wimbledon semi-finalist had defended the world No.72’s limited schedule before the final Grand Slam of the year.
The 21-year-old had recorded her best Grand Slam result since her 2021 New York triumph by reaching the Wimbledon fourth round.
But after also skipping French Open qualifying and the Olympics earlier in the summer, she lost momentum deciding not to enter qualifying in Toronto and Cincinnati after playing Washington.
And she then lost to fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin 6-1 3-6 6-4 in the first round at Flushing Meadows to mean she has still to win a match at the US Open as a Grand Slam champion.
Sky Sports analyst Henman said: “This has all been a rebuilding process when she’s coming back from the surgeries. When she has played she has played very well.
“That was a big chunk of the summer to miss. Obviously they were big tournaments and she wasn’t a direct acceptance [into the main draw] but in hindsight she probably should have been in qualifying to get those match reps under her belt.
“She’s learning all the time and fingers crossed she’s going to have many more opportunities here at the US Open in the future. I still think her game is moving in the right direction and there are still elements that she can do better.”
Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open and has struggled for form since. She went on an eight-match losing streak earlier this season.
And after losing in the first rounds in Eastbourne, Wimbledon, Washington and Toronto, she won her first match since Roland Garros at the WTA 250 event Cleveland.
“I feel like the match that I had in Cleveland, even though it was super windy, that kind of put the momentum for me,” she said.
“I feel like having those two matches under my belt coming into US Open gave me definitely some confidence. And of course, I believe that I could win.”
