Greg Rusedski believes Emma Raducanu should return to the mentality she had during the 2021 US Open, while also integrating some other stuff to her game.
Rusedski, the 1997 US Open finalist, recently launched a tennis podcast. When assessing the 2026 Australian Open and how certain players fared, the former world No. 4 said that Raducanu looked like she wasn't sure what to do and play in certain moments during a 6-7 (3) 2-6 second-round loss to Anastasia Potapova.
Speaking with the press following her Australian Open second round loss – with which she concluded her Australian swing with a 3-3 record – Raducanu dropped one interesting remark when she said: "The misalignment with how I'm playing right now and how I want to be playing is something that I just want to work on."
Shortly after, Raducanu proceeded to fire coach Francisco Roig and end their partnership after just six months.
Rusedski: When Raducanu won the US Open, she was super aggressive and had a clear plan about how she wanted to play
"When she won the US Open and burst on the scene and won the tournament, she was super aggressive… And I think she’s got to get back to where she was with that sort of mentality and approach to her game. This is where when you’re coaching someone, it’s a really tricky balance because you’ve got to add layers to their game," Rusedski said on his podcast.
“But the player has to be confident to add those layers in practice sets and then bring it into a match. But when push comes to shove, your natural character has to come in.
“So when I watched her play Potapova, I was looking at some of the shot selection, thinking to myself, is that the right shot, that short slice or drop shot at these moments at times? And it’s those decision-making at the big moments that can make it.”
Raducanu has since returned to action at this week's WTA 250 tournament in Cluj-Napoca, where she ousted Greetje Minnen 6-0 6-4 in the first round. The Briton, who is the top seed, plays against Kaja Juvan in the round-of-16.
Raducanu made a positive start in her first tournament post-Roig split, and making a deep run in Cluj-Napoca would definitely be exactly what the doctor ordered for the world No. 30.
