Henman: Richardson Reunion Paying Off for Raducanu
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- Emma Raducanu reunited with coach Andrew Richardson in May — the coach who guided her 2021 US Open triumph as a qualifier — and powered through a two-match Saturday to reach Sunday's Queen's Club final before falling 6-0 7-6 (8-6) to Donna Vekic.
- Tim Henman told Sky Sports that Richardson's return was 'paying off,' praising Raducanu's 'controlled, aggressive tennis' and positive body language while urging 'consistency and continuity' to let the partnership 'flourish.'
- Raducanu did not drop a set at Queen's until the first set of the final, and the run marked her first final since February's Cluj-Napoca runner-up finish to Sorana Cirstea.
- The 23-year-old had missed two-and-a-half months of the season with post-viral illness and recorded just one win since March before this week's run.
- Vekic credited Raducanu for playing 'really good tennis' and said staying healthy is the priority, noting the tour schedule is 'so physically demanding' but that 'she likes to play in front of the home crowd.'
- Raducanu pulled out of Nottingham this week and will use a 'well-earned week off' before heading to Eastbourne and then Wimbledon, per Sky Sports' Raz Mirza.
Why it matters: Raducanu's first final on grass since her 2021 US Open run, and her first of any kind since February, lands two weeks before Wimbledon — the tournament that made her famous — giving Richardson a runway to prove the partnership can hold beyond a feel-good week. The catch: she had one win since March and missed two-and-a-half months with post-viral illness, so form remains fragile heading into the year's biggest stage.
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