Emma Raducanu is Britain’s No. 1, but can she compete with the very best?

Since her stunning triumph at the 2021 US Open as a qualifier, Emma Raducanu has endured a challenging few years marked by injuries and inconsistency. The talented British star briefly broke into the top ten in the WTA rankings following her historic win, but her momentum was soon stalled by a series of recurring injuries.

However, recently, the 22-year-old has been showing signs of resurgence, having reached the quarter-finals at the HSBC Championships. A series of strong and consistent performances has propelled her to 38th in the WTA rankings, allowing her to reclaim the British No. 1 spot from Katie Boulter, who is 41st.

Raducanu has endured a difficult phase in her career, with several coaching changes, mental health issues, illnesses, surgeries for persistent wrist and foot injuries, and even dropping out of the top 250 in the WTA rankings. With improved performances this year, however, and her upcoming team-up with World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz for the changed mixed doubles format at the upcoming US Open, things are looking up.

With her recent rise in the rankings, the next pressing question is: can Raducanu hold her own against the top ten women players, and perhaps even clinch another major title?

My answer’s no. 

If we compare Raducanu with the very top players like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek, she seems far behind them in terms of talent, technique, fitness and consistency.

Even en route to her US Open win four years ago, the only top-ranked players she defeated were Maria Sakkari and Beatriz Haddad Maia and none of the hard-hitting consistent players on the tour.

Her record in WTA events isn’t great either: Raducanu hasn’t won a single WTA 500 or WTA 1000 event, with quarter-final appearances being her best results in both.

Coming to her style of play, Raducanu is an aggressive baseline player with flat groundstrokes and a strong double-handed backhand. However, she is not comfortable at the net with slice, volleys, and drop shots; rather, she prefers to dominate play from the baseline. This makes her game slightly one-dimensional and predictable.

If we compare her serve with those of the top players, it’s not that fast, and her first-serve percentage is also relatively low. However, Raducanu is fast and agile and can cover the court well, sometimes producing unexpected returns and winners.

Emma Raducanu undoubtedly possesses the talent to be a top-tier player on the WTA Tour. However, given the current landscape of women’s tennis, another Grand Slam title is only a distant possibility.

Her immediate focus should be on steady, incremental progress — building consistency on the tour, aiming to capture a WTA 500 title, and working her way into the top ten rankings once again.

With a solid foundation in place, Raducanu will be able to realistically set her sights on contending for another major championship, but even then it’s not going to be a cakewalk, with much stronger and technically superior players dominating the game.