Emma Raducanu given timescale to return to top 10 and challenge for Majors again

Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci believes Emma Raducanu has what it takes to claw her way back into the WTA top 10 by 2025. The 21-year-old reached No 10 in the world back in July 2022 but injuries have marred her progress ever since.

She remains on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery on both wrists and one of her ankles. Raducanu described them as “minor procedures” but they were serious enough to rule her out of the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon this year.

The former US Open champion was hoping to be back in action at the Australian Open next month, however, she failed to make the cut-off for the main draw. Raducanu put her name forward for the tournament using her protected ranking of No 103 rather than her current No 296 placing but that wasn’t high enough to get her through.

It is now unlikely she will be able to get into the main draw for the Melbourne major unless several players withdraw, she receives a wildcard, or she wins three rounds of qualifying.

But with the new season drawing near, there is still plenty more tennis to come and Macci is confident Raducanu will return to her former glory over the next couple of campaigns. 

“You don’t lose the talent or the skill: you lose the desire. With Emma, the only thing that’s a little concerning [is] when I hear she says, ‘I wish I wouldn’t have won the US Open, because everything changed.’ That’s brutal,” he said to Tennis Infinity.

“I respect her honesty, but as a little girl, you pick up the racket, you love to play, it’s so innocent. Your goal is to like, ‘I want to be like that someday. I want to win tournaments and win a Grand Slam,” Macci added.

“But anybody at that age that can go through qualifying, win the US Open, you got the talent. You got amazing potential mentally, but now it’s all against her. So I wouldn’t write her off. But just like [Naomi] Osaka, maybe not this year, but the following year, I think by the end of 2025, she could be top 10 in the world, if she is all in.”