Emma Raducanu needs to give her body time to “become more robust and resilient” to the rigours of a full season on the WTA Tour, says Judy Murray.
The teenager only made a WTA debut at the Nottingham Open last year before a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon where she retired due to breathing difficulties. She then enjoyed a magical run at the US Open where she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam.
However, she has suffered several injury setbacks this year as she struggled with blisters, health issues, a back injury and now a musculature problem at the Rothesay Open.
Her first competitive game on home soil since her US Open success lasted on seven games on Tuesday as she struggled after a “freak injury”.
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Former Fed Cup captain Murray has an idea of what Raducanu is going through as her son Andy had similar problems during his junior days.
In a piece in The Daily Telegraph, she wrote: “I remember when Andy was making the step up from the juniors to the ATP Tour.
“He had a number of recurring physical problems. In particular, he suffered from a lot of cramping. His body was perfectly ready for the demands of the lower rungs of the circuit but not necessarily for the heavier hitting, the longer, more rigorous rallies and stronger opponents he came up against on the Tour.”
She added: “What’s becoming increasingly clear is that Raducanu’s body needs time to mature.
“If you strip away the fact she was catapulted into this amazing success following her US Open triumph last September, she is no different to any other young player in the sense that her body needs time to fill out, become more robust and resilient.
“It’s a process that simply doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the physical demands on her body are at an all-time high.”
Murray also urged Raducanu to appoint a new coach as it will aid her learning process.
The US Open champion is looking for her fourth coach in just over a year as she parted company with Torben Beltz after just five months. She admitted in recent days that she is not in a hurry to appoint a new coach.
“Players often have shared access to physios at WTA and ATP events but I cannot understate how crucial it is to have someone who knows a player’s body, style of play and understands the physical demands of tennis,” Murray said.
“The further you get up the tree, the tougher it is on both the mind and body.
“But on the physical side, you have to start to look at the other factors that can influence performance – sleep, nutrition and psychology are all part of that package.”
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