Emma Raducanu's impressive week at Queen's Club may have ended in defeat in the final, but former tennis star Kim Clijsters believes there are encouraging signs both on and off the court for the British player. Speaking recently, Clijsters noted that Raducanu appears happier in her personal life and explained how that could benefit her tennis. The Belgian also pointed to Raducanu's reunion with coach Andrew Richardson as another crucial factor behind her recent improvement ahead of Wimbledon.
Kim Clijsters explains why Emma Raducanu's happiness away from tennis matters
Raducanu reached the final of the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club after a difficult first half of the season. Although she lost to Donna Vekic in the title match, her performances during the week gave fans reasons to be optimistic. The Brit was beaten 6-0, 7-6(6) by Vekic. The opening set was one-sided, but Raducanu responded well in the second set and pushed the Croatian to a tie-break before falling short.
During the latest episode of Love All, Kim Clijsters spoke about Raducanu's recent form and the role happiness can play in an athlete's performance. Referring to reports linking Raducanu with public relations executive John Friend, Clijsters said: "I've seen pictures that show she also has a new boyfriend, so she seems very happy, she's enjoying life, and I think that's important too; simply being happy off the court helps you play better on the court, I've always said that." Neither Raducanu nor Friend has publicly confirmed the reported relationship.
Kim Clijsters highlights Andrew Richardson's influence on Emma Raducanu
Clijsters also believes Raducanu has benefited from working again with Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to the 2021 US Open title. The partnership produced the biggest achievement of Raducanu's career, and Clijsters feels the familiarity between player and coach is helping once again. "There's something very comforting about hearing that voice (her coach Andrew Richardson's), so recognizable, the voice of someone who understands you, which is great, especially for someone like Emma, being from Great Britain, knowing that she's under a lot of scrutiny and pressure." Raducanu's run to the Queen's Club final was one of her best results since returning to work with Richardson.
Emma Raducanu's Nottingham Open withdrawal raises Wimbledon fitness concerns
After Queen's Club, Raducanu withdrew from the Nottingham Open, leading to questions about her fitness before Wimbledon. The 23-year-old appeared to struggle with a thigh issue during her quarter-final win over Kamilla Rakhimova. She later revealed she had been managing physical problems for several weeks. "I have just been dealing with a few niggles over the past few weeks, and of course the load I have had in the last week," she said. With Wimbledon approaching, attention will now turn to whether Raducanu can recover fully and build on the encouraging signs she showed at Queen's Club.
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