Emma Raducanu has carried the weight of a tulmultuous run of seasons into her second full year on the WTA tour, already marked by a recent bout with Covid-19 that sidelined her in December. Her first match of 2022 in Sydney ended in a heavy defeat to Elena Rybakina, 6-0, 6-1, a result that underscored the challenges she has faced against the game’s very best and the constant cycle of doubts, injuries, and high expectations.
Yet, there are clear signs of progress. As Raducanu heads toward Friday’s clash with Rybakina again, her performances have begun to reflect a more confident level of tennis. In New York, she has dropped only six games across her first two wins at the US Open, overwhelming Ena Shibahara and Janice Tjen with a clean, aggressive style that puts pressure on opponents by taking the ball early and moving inside the baseline. Still, those early rounds came against qualifiers outside the top 100, which makes the challenge posed by Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion whose serve leads the tour in service games won, service points won and aces, even bigger.
Raducanu’s team moves forward with a new approach as she continues to close the gap to the world’s elite. Her decision to hire Francisco Roig as her coach is rooted in sharpening her game to better counter the top ball strikers and big hitters she has encountered in losses to Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati and at Wimbledon. “I do want to see how my game suits and fits against the top,” Raducanu said. “I still think I have a long way to go, but I think I have been making steps towards getting closer and narrowing that gap. I think I have to take confidence from my matches against Aryna in Cincinnati and Wimbledon.”
In the men’s draw, Cameron Norrie also faces a marquee assignment, taking on Novak Djokovic for a seventh time after their meeting in the French Open fourth round earlier this year. Norrie’s summer has been eventful as he returned to his preferred hard-court season with a hard-won quarter-final run at Wimbledon, only to grapple with heat and endurance during the North American swing. A focused pre-US Open training block at Texas Christian University helped him bounce back, and he arrived in strong form in New York, where he edged through a four-hour marathon against Francisco Comesaña to reach the third round.
Historically, Norrie has struggled against Djokovic, trailing 0-6 in all meetings and having won just two sets in their 0-6 head-to-head ledger. Still, he enters with a sense that this might be his most credible chance to push Djokovic to the limit, given Djokovic’s recent cautious schedule after Wimbledon and the two unimpressive wins he logged in the wake of choosing family time over a heavier tournament load. Djokovic, who has not competed since Wimbledon, has shown signs of vulnerability in long matches, including a first-round tussle with Learner Tien that dragged on and tested his endurance.
Djokovic’s current form makes the Norrie clash a meaningful barometer: can the Serb sustain the edge and stamina that have defined his career, or will Norrie’s solid baseline game and renewed physical conditioning challenge him more deeply than before? It remains to be seen whether Djokovic will allow any opponent to close in, but for Norrie, this is an opportunity to prove his improvements against one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Value to readers and fans:
– Raducanu’s ongoing collaboration with Roig signals a strategic shift toward more aggressive, top-tier match-play tactics and improved handling of elite ball strikers.
– Rybakina’s current form provides a stern test that could illuminate Raducanu’s progress against the game’s most powerful servers.
– Djokovic’s return and Djokovic-Norrie dynamics on the current hard-court circuit offer a compelling measure of where both players stand mid-season, with fitness and endurance likely to be deciding factors.
Summary: The week brings two high-stakes tests for two rising stars and one veteran who remains among the best. Raducanu is showing encouraging signs of growth under a new coaching framework, while Norrie faces Djokovic in a matchup that could reveal how far he has come in his development and resilience after a demanding summer. Positive signs point to a season where gradual improvement, strategic coaching choices, and renewed physical preparation could translate into stronger showings against the sport’s very best.
Optional additional note for editors: Consider adding a quick side-box on Raducanu’s coaching shift, Roig’s coaching philosophy, and what it could mean for her service and movement patterns. For readers, a brief explainer on Djokovic’s schedule decisions and their potential impact on his long-term form would add context to the forthcoming matchups.
Overall sentiment: Forward-looking and cautiously optimistic about both Raducanu’s progress under Roig and Norrie’s potential to challenge Djokovic as the season unfolds.