Casper Ruud labels Emma Raducanu 'explosive' and makes big Grand Slam prediction
ATP world No 11 Casper Ruud has proclaimed that Emma Raducanu “for sure” has the potential to win another Grand Slam title in her career ahead of the British star’s comeback.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist described Raducanu’s game as “explosive” and hailed her movement, while declaring she “has all the shots in the bag.”
Raducanu shocked the sporting world with her remarkable victory at the 2021 US Open, where she won the title as an 18-year-old qualifier without dropping a set.
The 21-year-old did not make it past the second round in the five Grand Slams she has played since her US Open triumph, which remains her only WTA title.
The former world No 10 is currently ranked 299th after missing most of the 2023 season due to injury and having undergone surgery on both her wrists and her ankle in May. She played just 10 matches across five tournaments this year and posted a 5-5 record.
The Brit sustained an ankle injury which forced her to retire during her second round match in Auckland in January in her first event of the year. She then lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Coco Gauff, before next competing in Indian Wells almost two months later.
Raducanu achieved her best result of 2023 in Indian Wells by winning three matches to reach the last 16, where she was beaten by Iga Swiatek. She was then beaten in the opening round in Miami to Bianca Andreescu, before losing to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April in her most recent match.
The 21-year-old is set to make her comeback next month at the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland, which will run from 1-7 January.
Ruud, who has been ranked as high as world No 2, was full of praise for Raducanu’s qualities and expressed his belief that she can add to her Grand Slam tally.
“Is Emma fit again? Is she going to play Australia? She’s a potential to probably win another Slam I think, for sure. If she’s doing a good pre-season,” the Norwegian told The Express.
“[Her game is] explosive. And I think also if you see her moving around on the court, she’s really good. When we watched her win the US Open, that was something that stood out.
“Her, [Iga Swiatek], I think it’s always impressive with girls that are able to slide around the court because that’s something that is not easy. It requires to be fearless in a way and to be able to do it, it requires quite a bit of fitness.
“I saw she was hitting some incredible passing shots on the slide and stuff when she won, so that is what impressed me and of course she has all the shots in the bag. I think she has potential because she can move well and hit the ball well.”
Ruud was a runner-up at the French Open in both 2022 and 2023 (losing to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic respectively), while he was also beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2022 US Open.
