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“It takes time": Maria Sakkari calls for patience in Emma Raducanu’s WTA transition

As the 19-year-old's grass-court season begins with yet another injury and plenty of scrutiny, Maria Sakkari says it's important to allow young players time to develop on tour.

ByMatt Cronin

Published Jun 08, 2022

MATCH POINT: M. Sakkari def. C. Osorio; Nottingham R1

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WATCH: Maria Sakkari defeats Camila Osorio in the 2022 Nottingham first round

As Emma Raducanu's grass-court season begins with yet another injury and plenty of scrutiny, fellow pro Maria Sakkari says it's important to allow young players time to develop on tour.

Raducanu won the 2021 US Open, but has only reached the quarterfinals of an event once since then, and has had repeated back problems, blisters and other injury issues this season.

“It is not easy, if you exclude the US Open, she is 19. It takes time," Sakkari told the PA news agency at Nottingham's Rothesay Open this week. “The level at WTA is very, very high, so it is going to take time for her and every young player just to get used to the level.

"She was very young and up-and-coming, and she did something amazing because she came through qualies and won the entire thing."

The world No. 5, who fell to Raducanu during the US Open, says the teenager also has a lot more pressure than during her Grand Slam run. The British player now will be among the most prominent names going into her home Grand Slam at Wimbledon.

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Raducanu has only reached the quarterfinals of an event once since her 2021 US Open triumph, where she defeated Sakkari along the way.

"I don’t really remember that match because it [was] more than eight months ago that we played. I remember she was fearless," Sakkari said. "She was confident and she was feeling it and she was enjoying herself on court.”

The 26-year-old from Greece has climbed more slowly since starting on tour and also had a 2021 breakthrough year on tour—she is now ranked in the Top 5 and has reached two Grand Slam semifinals.

“It took me a lot of time because my breakthrough was later than other players. Everyone has different times to break through,” Sakkari said. “For me it was two or three years until I got used to the Tour – it always takes time.”

Raducanu withdrew with an abdominal strain during the first round of Nottingham, and is unsure whether it will affect her grass-court tournament schedule.

She is next scheduled to compete at the WTA 250 event in Birmingham.

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