Emma Raducanu vowed to play more matches in 2025, but her efforts are being thwarted by the worst run of form in her professional career and now she has suffered a third straight first-round defeat after going out of the Qatar Open after losing against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The Brit started her season with victory over Russia’s Alexandrova in the first round of the Australian Open, but she could not repeat that success as she was beaten 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the WTA 1000 event.
It was a fourth straight loss for the 2021 US Open champion after she was beaten in the opening round of tournaments in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, with confidence certain to be hit by this slide in fortunes.
This poor run for Raducanu started with a thumping 6-1, 6-0 defeat against world No 2 Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Australian Open.
Raducanu has been praised for her eagerness to add more tournaments to her schedule and she was preparing to play in qualifying for the first time since her US Open win ahead of the tournament in Abu Dhabi before getting a late wild card into the main draw for that event.
Yet a recurring theme is continuing to undermine Raducanu’s efforts, with her second serve dismantled once again by her latest opponent.
The Brit won just 33 per-cent of the points on her second serve and faced eight break points in the two-set match against Alexandrova.
She saved five of those break points, but her constant struggles to hold serve is an issue that needs to be ironed out before she can be competitive against the better players on the WTA Tour.
It remains to be seen where she will play her next match and it may be that the time has come to take a step away from the weekly grind of trying to find a way and return to the UK to ponder her options as she aims to appoint a new coach.
After Nick Cavaday opted to leave her team on health grounds after the Australian Open, Raducanu’s mentor Jane O’Donoghue flew out to Doha to offer support, but that appears to be very much a temporary fix to the coaching void.
Despite the pessimism around Raducanu after her run of defeats, Sky Sports Tennis commentator Jonathan Overend is convinced her fortunes will turn around if she continues to battle to find her best form.
“I genuinely think this year is quite exciting for Raducanu,” Overend told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview. “I still don’t see her playing with the sort of consistency that British tennis wants and hope for, as I feel she is going to be one of those players who can blow hot and cold across tournaments and swings.
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“What we do know is that when she is fit and on form, she has that Grand Slam-winning performance in her. She will turn up to Grand Slams in the future and get close to winning it, I have no doubt about that.
“We can look at her serve and say it needs to improve and we can say that she didn’t beat any top players when she won the 2021 US Open, but she still had to come through three matches in qualifying, seven matches in the main draw and she won them all without dropping a set.
“I don’t necessarily see her game as being worse than it was when she won the US Open, so she will always have a chance of clicking. We know it can come together for a period of time and if it all comes together, I honestly believe she can win another Grand Slam.
“I’m not going to say she’s won one and will never get close to winning another won. On current evidence, it looks like it’s going to be tough for her to get close to another Grand Slam, but I believe it can happen.
“I love the way she sits in press conferences, smiles about it all if it has gone wrong and appears to take it all in her stride. It shows she has a certain level of relaxation and comfort in what she is all about that some players just don’t have. A lot of players are so stressed and if I was her, I’d be so frustrated if I were in her shoes as her game is so consistent.
“I can’t wait for the day it all clicks because she will turn around to everyone and say: ‘There you go, I told you so. That’s why I’m still playing’.
“She is still young. When you look at the top of the WTA Tour, there are not too many young players and that suggests Raducanu will be in a position to put herself in contention to win big events for a long time.”
