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Emma Raducanu gave a good account of her abilities at the Indian Wells. She made it to the 1/8 finals in California, only the second time registering more than three successive victories since her dream run in the 2021 US Open.
Iga Swiatek stook in her path at Indian Wells and the Brit faces a former US Open champion in Bianca Vanessa Andreescu at the Miami Open. Interestingly, world number 1 Swiatek also knocked out Andreescu at the BNP Paribas Open as well.
As the two former US Open champions face off in the first round, all eyes are on Raducanu. She impressed at Indian Wells and caught the eye of 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert.
🎸🥁🐬miami O👋 pic.twitter.com/12ddSLrFXE
— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) March 19, 2023
Evert believes that Raducanu is on track to become a permanent fixture in the top ten and is excited to see what’s next for the British No.1. She attributed the Romanian-English star’s determination as a key ingredient to her success and fancies a career bottle between her and Coco Grauff in the future.
“I think I see a little more determination in her eyes, and I know she’s not a flash in the part. I think she is here to stay and here to compete with Coco and the top players. She’s definitely going to be a top 10 player,” Evert commented.
Mental toughness not injuries to define Raducanu
Raducanu was the first qualifier to ever win a grand slam title when she won last year’s US Open, but injuries have hindered her progress since then.
Injuries can come back to haunt her and the British ace is well aware of it. She decided to miss Billie Jean King Cup to recuperate after the Sunset Double. At Indian Wells she had her wrists taped and will take note of her injuries after it.
Prior to running into Swiatek at Indian Wells, she had her best tournament since winning the US Open. This phase of renaissance saw her beating two top 20 seeds before falling to WTA No. 1. Evert pointed out that the 20-year-old was hitting the ball fiercely again, which should point at better things to come for Raducanu at Miami Open and further down the line.
The 18-time Grand Slam winner was unfazed by her injuries, stating that her mental toughness should allow her to overcome these hurdles.
“She’s injury prone a little bit, but I think deep down, she will find that mental toughness that she had at the US Open. People didn’t realise she really didn’t beat any top, top players there. But I think the mental part and the physical part go hand in hand,” Evert expressed.
“I think the mental part is just as important, if not more important, than the physical part. I think I see a little more determination in her eyes, and I know she’s not a flash in the pan.”
