John McEnroe pours doubt on Emma Raducanu’s French Open hopes
‘I’m not sure where she is physically or mentally right now’: John McEnroe pours doubt on Emma Raducanu’s French Open hopes after she was forced to retire in Rome… as he urges her to build a team she’s ‘comfortable’ with after ANOTHER change of coach
READ: Emma Raducanu confirms that she IS fit to play in the French Open The British No 1 had to retire from the Italian Open in Rome due to a back issueRaducanu will head to the Paris major without a full-time coach in tow with her Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe has cast doubt on her build-upHe also wants to see Raducanu put together a group she is ‘comfortable’ around
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John McEnroe is open and honest when asked what he makes of British No 1 Emma Raducanu heading to the French Open without a full-time coach in place.
‘I didn’t believe in a full-time coach either so it really depends on the player,’ he tells Sportsmail.
‘These days it seems every player has a coach and I don’t recall who it was when she won the US Open but I must admit I was surprised they parted ways after she won that; it was an incredible shock for her to win that.
‘I’m not close enough to the situation to understand what is going on but I’m sure there is a lot of people that would want to coach her.’
Injury had forced Emma Raducanu into a first round retirement at the Italian Open in Rome
Due to that injury, Discovery pundit John McEnroe (left) is unsure how Raducanu (right) is ‘physically or mentally’ but he is interested to see how she fares in her first senior French Open
Raducanu, 19, heads to Paris having split with German coach Torben Beltz last month, leaving her searching for a fourth coach in the space of a year after spells with Nigel Sears at Wimbledon and Andrew Richardson at the US Open.
She is presently without a full-time coach as she manages her first stint on the WTA Tour on clay.
For McEnroe, a seven-time singles Grand Slam champion, he finds it impossible to say how Roland Garros will treat the British teenager, who will start the tournament against a qualifier, on the back of a retirement at the Italian Open in Rome.
‘I’m not sure where she is physically or mentally right now,’ McEnroe, who is working for Warner Bros. Discovery throughout Roland-Garros, continues.
The US Open champion has been practicing at Roland Garros in her first season on clay
Raducanu’s only prior experience at Roland Garros came four years ago with juniors and McEnroe is keen to see her play with the freedom that allowed her to stun the tennis world in New York last summer to win the US Open.
Expectation and pressure has extrapolated out since then, naturally for a Grand Slam champion.
McEnroe himself has added to that pressure in the past, receiving ciritcism previosuly for suggesting the teenager was ‘overwhelmed’ by the occasion when she withdrew from Wimbledon last summer due to breathing difficulties.
But even without the presence of a full-time coach, establishing a core group around her that she is ‘comfortable’ with is absolutely vital, believes the American.
‘She obviously did something spectacular at the US Open and you would try to, in some ways, replicate what she was feeling at that time to allow her to play freely,’ he said.
‘That’s a lot harder now because the expectations are a lot higher so she has to find a group that can get her comfortable and allow her to train in a way that she understands is good for her and be able to go on the court and feel some type of joy and happiness playing.
‘That’s the trick. But there is no way to do that, or understand how to do that, unless you understand the person. That’s the job of a coach or people around her to get her to a place to do what she does best.’
Raducanu, who declared herself fit for the second major of the year on Friday, last took to the court in Rome, before back issues brought that to an early conclusion.
The 19-year-old British No 1 split with German coach Torben Beltz (right) last month
Raducanu (right) also split from youth coach Andrew Richardson (left) after her US Open win
Raducanu admitted she had felt fearful over whether she would be playing in the French Open
The British No 1 was trailing in an intriguing match-up against Canada’s Bianca Andreescu with the score at 6-2, 2-1 when she shook hands and quit.
Raducanu had been complaining of lower back problems, which she also reported at the Madrid Open the week prior.
She called on the WTA Tour physio at 5-2 down against Andreescu and left the court for a lengthy medical timeout, before retiring four games later after being heard saying: ‘I can’t move.’
Speaking about that injury and her overall conditioning on Friday in Paris, Raducanu said: ‘I’m learning about my body, for sure, and I’m very happy to be continuing my preparations for the French Open and to be able to play this tournament.
‘It was definitely thrown into question. But at the end of the day I’m just learning, feeling it out. I got the all clear to continue with preparations and see how things go.
‘Last week after Rome I definitely had to slow down that week, but this week I have been training and luckily being able to practice all of the shots.
‘It feels good to be able to move freely and just like run around. You know, it’s quite fun.’
She will take on a qualifier in her first round match and McEnroe wants her to play freely
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