Former British player
Laura Robson believes that fellow
countrywoman
Emma Raducanu will play in both
French Open and
Wimbledon this
year. The 22-year-old was once regarded as the next big thing, especially when
she lifted the US Open at the age of 18.
The most impressive aspect of Raducanu’s success in that
particular competition was the fact that she started the competition from the
qualifying round and still managed to go all the way and secure the ultimate
prize after beating Canda’s Leylah Fernandez in the final in straight sets with
a score of 6-4, 6-3.
Since then, however, not much has gone right for Raducanu,
largely because of fitness concerns. The 2025 season started poorly for the
former world number 10 as well. She was knocked out of the first Grand Slam of
the year — the Australian Open — after losing in the third round to world
number two Iga Swiatek in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-0. After that,
she participated in the Singapore Open, where she was knocked out after losing
in the first round to Cristina Bucșa with a score of 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.
Last year, Raducanu decided not to play at the Roland Garros
in 2024 to focus on playing in the tournaments played on grass courts later in
the season. That decision received backlash from some current and former
players. Former British player Robson has recently been quoted as expressing optimism that the one-time Grand Slam winner will play in both the French Open and
Wimbledon.
“I think she’d like to do both,” she said. “Clay is great
for developing all areas of your game. [Especially] for tactical things and
learning how to turn around matches in slower conditions. Ideally you want the
best of both worlds, playing well on clay and then grass. We’ll see what she
decides – but I’m sure she wants to play a full schedule.”