Chris Evert is one of tennis’ greatest-ever players, thus making any advice she offers gold dust.
Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, is still trying to find her place within the WTA Tour after years of uncertainty and upheaval.
The British number one, ever since winning the 2021 US Open, has been catapulted into notoriety that she likely wasn’t ready for.
The injuries and loss of form that followed saw that pressure build, and only now does it feel like Raducanu has found the stability needed to start building properly.
All it took was to heed Evert’s advice, given back in 2023.
Chris Evert’s advice for Emma Raducanu
Speaking to Tennis365 just after Raducanu was pictured with both her arms in casts, having just undergone surgery on both her wrists, the American tennis legend admitted she felt sorry for the youngster.
However, she remained positive that things would turn around, actually coming to her defence in the face of increasing scrutiny.
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Evert noted: “Emma has had a rough route, but we knew that when she won the US Open and saw who she beat to get there, the pressure she was going to be under.
“Also, she lives in England, sorry. It’s a small country and the press is tougher on players in a small country they are on top of them. The fact she is so beautiful and charismatic, all the (sponsorship) offers came in and you can’t say she shouldn’t have signed them. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. So she became overwhelmed, probably lost a little perspective, maybe didn’t train as hard and felt the pressure and expectation. That is a hurricane of stuff thrown in her face.”
She concluded with some advice: “When I saw that picture of her in hospital with her wrist I thought; well you need time off. Maybe this is that time off to take a deep breath, to rethink your career, think about who you want to coach you, think about what areas of your game you want to work on. Just be a little more clear about your path.”
Emma Raducanu finally seems to have stability with Francisco Roig
Whilst 2025 was not a year laden with titles and huge successes, it is arguably the best of Raducanu’s career to date.
After all, she finally managed to get through the majority of a tennis season without any major injuries, finding stability in both her fitness and form that helped her slowly climb up the rankings.
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Raducanu hiring Francisco Roig certainly helped in that regard, and the progress the two have made together, building on the foundation set by Mark Petchey, looks promising.
In fact, Laura Robson has noticed a change in Raducanu this year, which she feels is helping in that development.
Hopefully, 2026 can bring similar progression that helps her break into the top 20 and start challenging for titles regularly.